Multan Sultans and Islamabad United will lock horns in the final of the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 9), set to kick off at Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Stadium at 9pm today.
Sultans, led by Mohammad Rizwan, have had a successful tournament and top the points table with seven wins and three losses. The team will be featuring in their fourth successive PSL final after triumphing over Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in the qualifier.
The side which was crowned PSL champions in 2021, were runners-up in the 2022 and 2023 editions.
Meanwhile, Shadab Khan’s United have secured their place in the final with significant confidence, having won two consecutive knockout matches against Quetta Gladiators and Zalmi in the first and second eliminators, respectively.
Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan speak on today’s PSL finaL
This is the two-time champions’ first appearance in the final since the 2018 and 2016 editions when they clinched the coveted trophy against Zalmi and Gladiators, respectively.
Expressing his views on today’s clash against the Sultans, Shadab said: “Winning the trophy for the third time will be a great achievement and I’m looking forward to whatever challenge Sultans will pose in the final.”
“Hopefully, our batters and bowlers will step up in a spirited manner as they have done throughout the season and will make us champions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sultan’s skipper Rizwan expressed confidence in his squad stressing that the team has “all the bases covered” and that the team needs to “stick to their process”.
“Our local, foreigner and emerging players have shone and produced some extraordinary performances. What further helps us is the fact that our team has gelled really well in the last four weeks.
“I am sure if our execution is perfect, the people of Multan will get a favourable result,” he concluded.
Pitch report
The wicket at Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Stadium exhibited its authentic characteristics during the second eliminator between the United and Zalmi.
The pitch remained true, providing batsmen with pace and bounce to strike through the line consistently. This trend is expected to continue in the final when United confront the Sultans once again.
Likely Playing XIs
Multan Sultans: Yasir Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (C & Wk), Usman Khan, Johnson Charles, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali
Islamabad United: Martin Guptill, Alex Hales, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan (C), Azam Khan (WK), Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Hunain Shah, Obed McCoy
