Multan set to battle Peshawar and expectations of home fans

Multan will get its first taste of Pakistan Super League (PSL) when its Sultans take on 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi at Multan Cricket Stadium tonight at 7pm local time.

The Ali Tareen-owned Multan began their campaign with a comfortable win over Lahore but too much could not be read into that result as a result over the hapless Qalandars is hardly anything to brag about.

They were immediately brought back to earth the next game when Islamabad handed them an eight-wicket defeat.

The result over Lahore means that Multan have a decent 1 win-1 loss record at the moment, but that does not mask the fact that they are only viewed as the fifth-best or second-worst side in the league.

Peshawar, on the other hand, are a juggernaut. The side is loaded with options all over, so much so that Imam-ul-Haq, an international and not a bad player at all, may not get a game this PSL.

They were unlucky to lose to Karachi in their opening match but swiftly bounced back to outclass defending champs Quetta Gladiators the very next game, solidifying their status as one of the top contenders for the title this year.

Head to head

While Peshawar are one of the most consistent PSL sides and Multan are new and have only been better than Lahore, the two teams' head-to-head record is even at 2 games apiece. 

In fact, Multan, in their debut season in 2018, won both their matches against Peshawar, who then avenged those losses by winning both their clashes last year.

Keys to victory

If Multan are to win they will need:

- their top order to play at a much quicker pace (we're looking at you Shan Masood). In loss to Islamabad, their top four batsmen combined to score 73 runs off 63 balls. 

- have their star-studded spin attack be much more effective

If Peshawar are to win they will need:

- their pace attack to be more like they were in the last game than in the loss to Karachi 

- Kamran Akmal to continue his devastating form

Prediction

As said above, the Sultans' top four play at ODI pace, leaving little time for the likes of Rilee Rossouw, Zeeshan Ashraf and Shahid Afridi — arguably their best hitters.

That flaw in their composition and the possibility that they could be weighed down by the expectations of home fans play against them. 

Peshawar are just too strong, too professional and too ruthless for Sultans. If things go according to plan, Zalmi win.

We had our say. And then our readers had their say. Readers 1 - 0 Geo Super.

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