Cornered champions take on league leaders to keep season alive

Bottom-ranked Quetta Gladiators will take on high-flying Multan Sultans at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium tonight in order to keep their season alive. 

Jaded from the travelling and depleted from the injuries and suspensions, Quetta have lost four straight matches coming into tonight's match.

With just two of their 10 matches left, they desperately need to win tonight or it would become virtually, if not mathematically impossible for them to quality for the playoffs considering they have the worst net run rate in the league by a wide margin.

Multan, on the other hand, have one foot in the playoffs. A win tonight will boost their points tally to 13, which would guarantee their qualification.

They are unbeaten in their last five matches and have lost just once this season when Islamabad United got the better of them. They did come close to losing another against Karachi but rain rescued them and abandoned the match.

Head to head

Quetta and Multan have a very close record, with the two sides splitting their five matches 3-2 (Quetta's favour). 

The Sultans triumphed in their last meeting though, which took place earlier this tournament at the end of last month. Rilee Rossouw was the difference maker in that game, smashing the fastest century (43 balls) of PSL history.

Prediction

On one hand are the league leaders and on the other the cornered champions. Word from the Quetta camp is that fast bowler Naseem Shah is fit to play. 

With that boost and the team playing to save their season, we have the gut feeling that Sarfaraz and co will find just enough to stay alive for another day. 

They will probably not make the playoffs but their hopes don't die just tonight.

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