The seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is all set to kickstart. Defending champions Multan Sultans take on the champions from the 2020 season Karachi Kings in the tournament opener which will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi. Six teams are all set to square off across 30 games in the league stage before the top four teams qualify for the playoffs and battle it out for the coveted PSL title. Karachi and Lahore are the only two venues that will host the games this season.
Across the six seasons, Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi have been the two most successful sides in the history of the PSL. Islamabad United have won the title twice (2016 and 2018) and barring 2020, they have reached the top-four every season. Meanwhile, Peshawar Zalmi have finished inside the top-four every time. They have won the PSL title once (2017) and ended up as runners-up thrice (2018, 2019 and 2021).
Lahore Qalandars are the only team to have never won the PSL even once. They finished fifth three times, sixth twice and only once did they end up as runners-up which was in 2020. Quetta Gladiators won the title in 2019 while Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans won it in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
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Who are the favourites?
- Two-time champions Islamabad United have a strong core and a top bowling attack. If all players are fit and firing, they could well be one of the contenders and could be in line for a third PSL title.
- Peshawar Zalmi is another side that boasts of a top-quality bowling combination. With some fiery batters, they could pose a huge threat in this competition.
- Meanwhile, we don’t count defending champions Multan Sultans out. They seem to have some attacking options with the bat and a good bowling line-up as well.
Who can be a dark horse?
Quetta Gladiators seem to stand the lowest chances to win this season. However, they boast of some express fast bowlers alongside a few utility cricketers and some reliable top-order batters. If they click well as a unit, they could trouble the other teams in the competition.
Key players
Mohammad Rizwan: Mohammad Rizwan had a stellar 2021 in T20 cricket. The premier Pakistan wicket-keeper batter racked up 2036 runs at an average of 56.56 and a strike-rate of 132.04. 500 of those runs came in the PSL and a whopping 1326 runs came in T20Is. He recorded 30 scores of 30+ (batted 45 times). Thus, he could be one of the players to watch out for and it’ll be interesting to see if his rich vein of form continues in 2022.
Saqib Mahmood: Saqib Mahmood was very good in the shortest format last year. Irrespective of where he played, the Birmingham-born fast bowler exceled. He impressed in the PSL last season before doing well in the Vitality T20 Blast and the Hundred. He is coming off an excellent BBL stint recently where he took 13 wickets from six games. Thus, Mahmood could be one of the bowlers to keep an eye on.
Match 1: Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans
It is Babar Azam vs Mohammed Rizwan in the 2022 PSL season opener. Karachi Kings lead the head to head battle against Multan Sultans and are ahead 5-2. However, Multan Sultans might start as slight favourites with odds of 1.98 to win the match, as they seem to have a better-balanced squad at the start of this tournament.
Match 2: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi
It may seem almost neck and neck when it comes to head to head results as Peshawar Zalmi lead 9-8. But Peshawar Zalmi have had the better of Quetta Gladiators in each of the four games these two sides have played in the last couple of seasons. They will once again fancy their chances of making it five in a row, as their bowling attack is excellent and have a wide range of batting options available. You can back Peshawar Zalmi at 1.64.
Match 3: Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars have been one of the worst-performing sides in the PSL but they boast of a good all-round side this time around and a potent bowling attack which comprises of Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. They could challenge Multan Sultans big time but the latter might just start as favourites heading into this game. Multan Sultans have better chances to win this fixture.
