Pakistan Super League 2020: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans | Preview, predicted XIs, broadcast and live stream details
Multan Sultans and Islamabad United had a good match early in the tournament that was easily won by the Men in Red after the Sultans scored 164 for 8 in Lahore. The match was won by Islamabad by 8 wickets with over three overs remaining.
However, the Sultans have made significant improvements since that match and have become one of the top teams of the season which has helped them give their home crowd in Multan a great time.
Multan Sultans have had a relatively stable line-up as they are skeptical about tinkering with a winning combination. Rilee Rossouw and Shan Masood have been having a field of a time with the bat, even though Masood has never been picked for the national side. Zeeshan Ashraf and Moeen Ali have been the other two top players for the team and they have been enjoying some high totals off late, with some great partnerships early on and some power hitting later with Rossouw being the key.
Their bowling has been one of the best and most effective in the tournament as we’ve seen Sohail Tanvir and Muhammad Ilyas set the batsmen up as the top pacers while Imran Tahir has been phenomenal along with Shahid Afridi. The variation in their bowling has helped the team restrict their opponents for relatively smaller targets and pick up the victories. Bilawal Bhatti will also be looking to make some good impressions to earn his way back into the national side at some point.
Islamabad United has had bipolar performances under the captaincy of Shadab Khan. They’ve gone on to score some big totals in some matches while their bowling has let them down on other occasions. One thing that has remained constant has been the captain’s performance who has tried to perform with both the bat and the ball.
Luke Ronchi and Colin Munro were the two star-players in the last match between these two teams, and they have given some good performances since that match. While Dawid Malan has been out of the team as Islamabad has looked to get Dale Steyn in, it won’t come as a surprise if Steyn sits this one out to bolster the batting line-up. Colin Ingram is the other foreign batsman who has been carrying the United through.
The Men in Red have had a tough time with the ball at times and only Steyn and Shadab have performed consistently. Zafar Gohar, Akif Javed, and Rumman Raees will have to share the burden of the bowling if the team decides to rest Steyn and give Malan a go in order to set a big total early on.
This will be a very good match to watch as both teams have some top-quality batsmen in their side and the batsmen have been shining on Rawalpindi’s pitch. Whichever team wins the toss will look to bat first and set a big total.
Match details
Tournament: Pakistan Super League Season 5, 2020
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
Date: 8th March 2020
Time: 2.00 PM PST onwards
Pitch report
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has been a haven for batsmen so far in this year’s Pakistan Super League. The ground has given some of the highest-scoring matches this season.
Islamabad’s home ground has been a victim of bad weather during the tournament, and we’ve already seen games get cut short or abandoned so far. However, Sunday’s game may only have a short interruption and a full match will be possible.
The pitch has been hard and flat, providing batsmen with even bounce to play with. Bowlers will have to bowl full and straight as they won’t get much movement off the pitch. Expect another high scoring match when these two top teams collide, and a score of 180+ batting first will be necessary to be competitive.
Predicted XIs
Islamabad United: Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi (Wicketkeeper), Dawid Malan, Colin Ingram, Asif Ali, Rizwan Hussain, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan (Captain), Rumman Raees, Zafar Gohar, and Akif Javed.
Multan Sultans: Shan Masood (Captain), James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Moeen Ali, Khushdil Shah, Zeeshan Ashraf (Wicketkeeper), Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Muhammad Ilyas, Muhammad Irfan, and Imran Tahir.
Where to watch the matches in Pakistan?
Islamabad United v Multan Sultans will be telecast LIVE on PTV Sports.
Live stream details
The live stream for Islamabad United v Multan Sultans will be available on Cricingif and Cricketgateway.