MS vs LQ Match Preview
The Sultans have put together a brilliant squad that is well-balanced in all departments. Mohammad Rizwan has led from the front and is the top-scorer in the team with 516 runs. Joining him at the top of the order will be Usman Khan, who has played just 3 matches so far this season by has already scored a brilliant century. Kieron Pollard and Rilee Rossouw add muscle to the middle order, while all-rounders Tim David and Khushdil Shah add depth to the batting.
The bowlers have contributed equally to the Sultans’ success this season. Ihsanullah, playing his first full season, has been brilliant with the new ball and is second on the list of top wicket-takers for the season. His number is only bettered by his teammate Abbas Afridi, who has claimed 23 wickets.
The batting has been a strong point for the Qalandars this season as most of their top and middle-order batsmen are in good form. Fakhar Zaman is the leading scorer with 390 runs and has been well supported by Mirza Baig and Abdullah Shafique at the top of the order. Sikandar Raza and Sam Billings have been quite reliable in the middle order, while David Weise can perform the role of a finisher in crunch situations.
Rashid Khan and Shaheen Afridi can swing the willow too if the need arises. The Qalandars have a strong pace attack consisting of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Zaman Khan, and will be banking on them to bowl well. Rashid Khan, who is one of the best spinners in the world when it comes to T20 cricket will play an important role during the middle overs.
Weather Report
There are chances of rain in Lahore over the weekend and that’s why the finals were rescheduled to be held on Saturday to get 2 reserve days. Nevertheless, we might get some interruptions due to the rain.
Pitch Report
The surface at the Gaddafi Stadium is flat and excellent to bat on. The stadium has hosted quite a few high-scoring matches so far. The average first-inning score here is around 180 but teams batting first will aim for a 200+ total to put the opposition under pressure. There is very little help here for the bowlers and they will need to bowl a good line and length to rein in the batsmen.
Notable stats
Abbas Afridi’s Excellent Bowling
Abbas Afridi has bowled extremely well this season and is the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets in just 10 matches, with a brilliant bowling strike rate of 9.20.
Team News
There are no updates regarding injuries from either side and we should see an unchanged eleven take the field.
MS vs LQ Probable 11
MS Playing 11
- Mohammad Rizwan (C)
- Usman Khan
- Kieron Pollard
- Rilee Rossouw
- Tim David
- Khushdil Shah
- Anwar Ali
- Usama Mir
- Abbas Afridi
- Ihsanullah
- Sheldon Cottrell
LQ Playing 11
- Mirza Baig
- Abdullah Shafique
- Fakhar Zaman
- Sam Billings (Wk)
- Ahsan Bhatti
- Sikandar Raza
- David Weise
- Rashid Khan
- Shaheen Afridi (C)
- Haris Rauf
- Zaman Khan
Dream11 Prediction
Both the teams are evenly matched at this stage and none of them enjoys a clear advantage over the other. Nevertheless, we will back the Qalandars to win this match. They have been in the thick of the action during the past week and will be battle-ready when they take the field. The team is well-balanced and has plenty of match-winners who will be looking to give their 100% in this final match of the season.
Top Picks
Rilee Rossouw: Rossouw has been a solid performer for the Sultans this season and has scored 2 half-centuries and a century so far to score a total of 401 runs. His strike rate is pretty exceptional too, at 172.84.
Zaman Khan: Zaman Khan has been pretty accurate with the ball and has picked up 15 wickets so far. He bowled a brilliant spell of 2 wickets for 20 runs and was instrumental in Qalandars’ journey to the finals.
Ihsanullah: Ihsanullah has had a memorable outing so far and has picked up 21 wickets in 11 matches. Despite bowling on some of the flattest pitches in the country, he has an economy rate of just 7.26.
MS vs LQ Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: M Rizwan (C), S Billings
Batters: K Pollard, R Rossouw, F Zaman (VC)
All-rounders: S Raza
Bowlers: Ihsanullah, A Afridi, Rashid-Khan, S Afridi, Z Khan
