PSL 2019: Only pride at stake for lacklustre Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans

Waseem Ahmed 23:13 10/03/2019
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  • Lahore are out of the play-off race. Image credit - LQ/Twitter.

    There will be only pride at stake for both Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans when the two teams meet in the 2019 Pakistan Super League (PSL) clash at Karachi on Monday.

    With Karachi Kings pipping Quetta Gladiators by one run at the National Stadium on Saturday, the four play-off berths have now all been filled with Lahore’s hopes coming to a dismal end.

    It has once again been a season to forget for the Qalandars despite having a star-studded roster with the team in danger of finishing bottom of the table for the fourth year in a row.

    Lahore still hold a two-point lead over Multan who were the first team to be eliminated from the play-off race but a huge margin of defeat on Sunday could still see them end up with the wooden spoon for a fourth time.

    Fakhar Zaman and his men were still in the running for the play-off spot before the start of the Pakistan leg of the tournament but a crushing 49-run loss to Islamabad United on Saturday set them back big time.

    For Multan, it will be all about finishing on a high after a disastrous campaign which has seen them taste seven defeats from their nine games. Having returned to the PSL under new ownership but the same name, the Sultans have simply failed to get going in the tournament despite their vast arrays of all-rounders.

    While there might not be much to play for either side, Pakistan stalwarts like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Fakhar and Haris Sohail will all be determined to put in a commendable display in their final 2019 PSL outing.

    LIKELY XIs

    Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman (c), Anton Devcich, Riki Wessels (wk), Haris Sohail, Sohail Akhtar, David Wiese, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sandeep Lamichhane, Rahat Ali.

    Multan Sultans: James Vince, Umar Siddiq (wk), Johnson Charles, Shoaib Malik (c), Hammad Azam, Daniel Christian, Chris Green, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Abbas.

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