Multan Sultans have arguably been the most consistent PSL team in the last 3 years. In PSL 2020, Shan Masood inspired them to finish the league stages at the top of the table. Mohammed Rizwan joined them in the next season and also took over the leadership responsibilities. After ending the league stages in the second position, the Sultans played the final for the first time in 2021 and won it as well.
They continued their dominance in the 2022 season and again topped the table. They qualified for the finals for the second consecutive time but lost to Lahore Qalandars on this occasion. Will they have another prosperous campaign this year, and is their squad capable of it? Keep reading to find out.
Multan Sultans Squad Breakdown
Batsmen: Mohammad Rizwan(c&wk), Shan Masood, Usman Khan, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Mohammad Sarwar
All-Rounders: Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Ammad Butt, Arafat Minhas
Fast-Bowlers: Shahnawaz Dahani, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, Josh Little, Wayne Parnell, Sameen Gul
Spinners: Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Izharulhaq Naveed
MS Squad Strengths
Multan team is one of the top favorites to lift the PSL 2023 trophy, and here are the two biggest reasons for that:
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Two Run-Machines As Openers
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The Sultans must feel lucky to have Mohammed Rizwan and Shan Masood as their two openers. Shan scored 283 runs in the PSL 2020 and was the 6th highest run-getter in the tournament. In both the 2021 and 2022 editions, he was the 3rd highest run scorer with 428 and 478 runs, respectively. His strike rate in PSL 2021 was 156.77, and 138.15 in PSL 2022.
His opening partner Mohammed Rizwan has been a part of the Multan side for just 2 years. Quite amazingly, he was the 2nd highest run-getter in both seasons and accumulated more than 500 runs in each edition. He averaged 45.45 in PSL 2021 and 68.25 in PSL 2022. He was also the most consistent T20 International batsman in the last 2 years. Rizwan was also the ICC T20I Player of the Year 2021.
With these two at the top, MS can expect a solid start in almost every game. Also, if they wish to bat Shan in the middle order, they have young and talented Usman Khan in their squad to open the innings.
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World-Class Middle Order
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Without a doubt, the Sultans have by far the best middle order in the PSL 2023. The power-hitting trio of Rilee Rossouw, David Miller, and Tim David mean total destruction for the opponents. The Protea duo of Rilee Rossouw and David Miller are expected to bat at #3 and #4 for them. Rossouw averages almost 37 in T20 Internationals and strikes at exactly 156. Miller has a strike rate of 144.2 and an average of 34.6 in T20Is.
After both the South Africans, Australia’s destructive batter, Tim David, will come to the crease. He averages 37 in T20 International cricket and has an SR of 159.5. In overall T20 cricket, he scores runs at a strike rate of 163.1 and an average of 32.6. In IPL, he averages 31.2 and strikes at an amazing 210.1.
That’s not it; if any of these 3 hard hitters is not available, they can bring in Kieron Pollard. The Caribbean batter has nearly 12,000 runs in the format at a strike rate of over 150. He also has an impressive strike rate of 147.3 in the Indian Premier League. Even if a bowling side gets through all of them, they will still need to face Khushdil Shah and Anwar Ali. Is any target too big for this batting lineup? Apparently, they can chase anything or post any total.
MS Squad Weaknesses
Underlying is the only weakness of the Multan Sultans’ squad:
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Lack of Experience in the Bowling Lineup
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Mohammad Rizwan is an excellent captain, and he uses his bowling resources smartly. That’s why Multan have played in the finals of both the previous PSL seasons. But their bowling line for PSL 2023 is seriously short on experience. Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, and Shahnawaz Dahani are likely to be part of their first-choice XI. These 3 guys are exceptionally talented but still new to this level.
Josh Little and Wayne Parnell are the two options for Multan Sultans as a foreign pacers. Josh Little has been in exceptional form of the late and is likely to play ahead of Parnell. But if the MS management is willing to have more experience in their bowling, they might give the go-ahead to the South African quick. Anyhow, it will be a challenging task for Rizwan to conquer the pressure situations with this bowling lineup.
Ideal Starting XI
Here is the best available combination from Multan’s powerpack squad:
- Mohammad Rizwan(c&wk)
- Shan Masood
- Rilee Rossouw
- David Miller
- Tim David
- Khushdil Shah
- Anwar Ali
- Usama Mir
- Josh Little
- Shahnawaz Dahani
- Abbas Afridi
Performance Prediction for Multan Sultans
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Considering Multan’s squad and team balance, it’s safe to say they should either finish the league stages at the top of the table or in the second position. In the playoffs, their side is good enough to win at least one of the two matches. So, it is highly likely that Multan Sultan will become the first team in PSL history to play in the finals of 3 consecutive PSL editions. In fact, they are the favorites to win their second PSL title in 2023.
