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PSL 2023 Predictions: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans

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Brace yourselves for an electrifying clash between two of Pakistan’s best T20 franchises, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans!

The stakes are higher than ever, as the winner of this match secures a spot in the finals.

Match Details

The match will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, and will begin at 7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT on March 15, 2023.

Recent form

The Lahore Qalandars have been the standout team in the league stage, winning seven out of their ten matches and finishing at the top of the points table.

Meanwhile, the Multan Sultans have secured the second spot in the league standings by winning six out of their ten matches.

The Lahore Qalandars lost their last league game against Imad Wasim’s Karachi Kings by 86 runs, which was inconsequential.

Skipper Shaheen Afridi rested himself, keeping in mind the rest he needed before the playoffs.

The Sultans, on the other hand, started their campaign with four wins in five matches at their home ground in Multan.

But thereafter, they went on a three-match losing streak.

Mohammad Rizwan’s men made a comeback with a four-wicket win after chasing down 243 against Peshawar Zalmi.

Ahead of their last league game, the Sultans needed a win to go from third to second in the points table.

Instead of crumbling under pressure, they defeated Quetta Gladiators by nine runs to push Islamabad United to third in the table.

Having gained consecutive wins heading into the play-offs, Multan have accrued some much-needed momentum ahead of the business end of the PSL.

Key Players

Fakhar Zaman, who hit 66 runs in the first group stage game against Multan Sultans earlier in the tournament, is expected to be Lahore Qalandars’ highest run-scorer in this playoff match.

Shaheen Afridi, who has 14 wickets in the PSL 2023, is our pick for Lahore Qalandars’ top wicket-taker on Wednesday.

For Multan Sultans, Mohammad Rizwan, who is the leading run-scorer in the competition, is expected to be their highest run-scorer in this match.

Abbas Afridi, who has a strike rate of 8.9 with two four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul in this PSL, is a strong choice for Multan Sultans’ top wicket-taker against Lahore Qalandars.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took a five-wicket haul at this venue earlier in the tournament, will also be a key player to watch out for.

Playing XI

The Lahore Qalandars’ playing XI is expected to include Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Abdullah Shafique, Sam Billings (WK), Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi (C), Haris Rauf, and Zaman Khan.

Meanwhile, the Multan Sultans’ playing XI is likely to include Usman Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Rilee Rossouw, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Izharulhaq Naveed, and Ihsanullah.

Pitch Conditions

The surface at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is known to be a batting paradise, with very little margin for error for bowlers.

The average first innings score at this venue is 193, and the average total score is 165.

The team winning the toss and opting to bowl first would be the ideal decision.

Who will win

Multan has a formidable batting line-up with batters like Rizwan and Rossouw.

Their bowlers are also hitting top form.

Though Lahore is the overwhelming favourite, Multan have a chance of pulling off an upset if they see out their overs against Rashid Khan.

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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024

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Smriti Mandhana and Alyssa Healy (Source - X)

RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.

It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.

Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain

Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.

It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.

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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window

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Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.

It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.

Watch the viral video here –

Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.

RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief

As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.

On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.

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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy

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Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.

Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.

The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).

‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar

“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.

Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.

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