PSL 2023 Final: 5 Players Who will be Crucial For Multan Sultans To Win MUL VS LAH Final Match

PSL 2023 Final, MUL VS LAH Final Match: The all-important finale of the 8th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2023) is all set to unravel on March 18 at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore between the defending champions Lahore Qalandars and runners-up of PSL 2022 Multan Sultans. Last year, these two teams met in the final of the PSL season 7 where Shaheen Shah Afridi led Lahore Qalandars to a memorable win. However, this time Lahore will be up against a much stronger Multan team. 

The Qalandars defeated the Sultans in both of their games in the group stage. But when these two teams clashed again in qualifier 1, the latter team came off good to beat the former team and punch their ticket for the PSL 2023 final. It’s been another brilliant season for Multan, a team that finished the group stages in second place on the PSL 2023 points table. Multan experienced some ups and downs in the group-stage encounters. However, their exceptional performances in the last couple of games just prove how good they are as a unit.

Sultans have qualified for the final for the third successive time and will be hoping to win the tournament for the second time in three years. And for that, some of their key players have to show up in the penultimate game. In this listicle, we look at five players of Multan Sultans to watch out for in the PSL 2023 final.

MUL VS LAH Final Match: Top Multan Players to Watch Out in the PSL 2023 Final

5) Ihsanullah

One of the finds of the tournament Ihsanullah was once ruling the tournament as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament at the beginning of the tournament. Showing off his skills with the ball, Ihsanullah has taken 21 in the 11 matches. At 21 wickets, he is just two short of the current leader and Multan Sultan’s teammate Abbas Afridi and wants to be the highest wicket-taker. Ihsanullah has been a force to be reckoned with for a while and will be key in taking wickets in all phases of the must win encounter.

4) Kieron Pollard 

The West Indies legend has played in so many finals in his illustrious career and with Multan, he’s going to play another final with an aim to add another trophy to his cabinet. Pollard has been instrumental to his team’s success this season. In a crucial game, Pollard proved his worth by earning the Player of the Match award in Qualifier 1 against Lahore. He struck 57 runs at a strike rate of 167.64 including one four and 6 sixes. Not just that, he also bagged up a wicket with the ball to take his team to the final.

3) Rilee Rossouw

Rossouw has already made some serious contributions while batting at No.3. His notable contributions included two scores over 70 and a sensational century. The Proteas batter has been in some form with the bat. Along with skipper and team opener Mohammad Rizwan, he gives the Sultans’ top-order a formidable look. The southpaw is the sole overseas batter in the top five highest run scorers of PSL 2023 as the Proteas’ has aggregated a total of 401 runs which makes him the fourth batter to cross 400 runs this season and would love to add a few more in his tally to end the season on a high note.

2) Abbas Afridi

Afridi is unquestionably the find of the tournament. The 21-year-old has taken 23 wickets in his first 10 matches, making him the tournament’s best wicket-taker at the moment. The pace sensation took five wickets in the game against Quetta Gladiators, which really got the best out of him. He is now the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 22 wickets from just nine innings.

At 21, the young bowler has shown a lot of promise and self-belief in his ability this season. He is one of the key reasons behind Multan’s success this season and thus, the team would be hoping that the youngster can help them win their second PSL title.

1) Mohammad Rizwan

Rizwan has been very consistent so far with the bat in the tournament, scoring 516 runs in 11 matches, and with that, he currently is the second-leading run-scorer of the tournament, behind Peshawar Zalmi’s Babar Azam. Being 6 runs short of becoming the leading run-scorer of the competition, the Multan Sultans skipper will have an opportunity to retake the lead in the PSL 2023 final against Lahore Qalandars.

In the final clash, Rizwan will be expected to anchor the batting and let other power hitters like Rossouw, Pollard, and David do their job of taking down the opposition bowlers. If the Sultans need to score big runs on the scoreboard then all eyes will be on Rizwan once again.