Multan Sultans

 

Multan Sultans

Multan Sultans were the trailblazers in the group stages of PSL 7, they faltered off after PSL was restarted after a prolonged break due to Covid-19 and they will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of last season. Multan relied heavily on data last season as they assembled their squad based on numbers rather than personal bias. It served them well with the likes of Shahid Afridi, Imran Tahir, Zeeshan Ashraf, Sohail Tanvir, and Mohammad Ilyas providing the team with some magical performances. Multan decided to revamp much of their squad though, with Zeeshan Ashraf, Mohammad Ilyas, Bilawal Bhatti, Ravi Bopara, and Mohammad Irfan been let go.

Multan’s marquee pick in the PSL 2024 draft was the explosive Australian opener, Chris Lynn. He will certainly provide them with much-needed fireworks at the top of the order. Along with the likes of Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Shahid Afridi, and James Vince, Multan has a lot of hard-hitters in their team. This could prove to be a recipe for disaster as well, as they can be vulnerable to a batting collapse. Captain Shan Masood will play the anchor role in the team, but his recent poor form is worrisome for Multan Sultans.

Their fast bowling unit looks thin on the paper, with only two experienced fast bowlers in the team, Sohail Tanvir and Sohail Khan, Multan will rely heavily on their spin department. Shahnawaz Dhani an exciting young fast bowler was drafted in due to his exceptional performances in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. They will have to dig deep to find the perfect fast bowling combination to play throughout the tournament.

The spin department does not need to dig deep though, Multan has three leg-spinners in their squad, with the experience of South African Imran Tahir, Pakistani legend Shahid Afridi and exciting young spinner Usman Qadir Multan will be looking to bamboozle the opposition batting line-up.

Multan has only one recognized wicket-keeper in their squad, which leaves them quite thin in the department. Although Mohammad Rizwan is an exceptional wicket-keeper and is in the form of his life, he isn’t widely regarded as an ideal batsman for the shortest format of the game. Mohammad Rizwan will likely be the mainstay in their line-up.

Multan has put their trust in experienced performers in Pakistan’s domestic circuit, Sohail Khan, Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Rizwan have been some of the top performers in the domestic circuit over the past few years, only time will tell if they can carry their form in PSL 8.

Multan Sultans possesses a squad filled with match-winners, Afridi, Lynn, Tahir, Qadir, Tanvir, Rossouw, Vince, Maqsood all possess the capability of individually winning the match. They are filled with established T20 players who have proven themselves at various franchise-based leagues all over the world.

Multan Sultans will be hoping their explosive batting line-up and their excellent spinners will help to cover the flaws in their fast bowling unit as they gear up for PSL 2024.