PSL 2018, Match 6: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans – Match Predictions

Multan Sultans after making a grand entry into the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by winning their first two games in a row will take on Islamabad United in their third match on Sunday. The United, on the contrary, have had a losing start to this season and they are under a little bit of pressure going into this encounter.

The kind of domination the Sultans have displayed on the park despite it being their debut season is actually not surprising. They stitched together a good unit in the draft and with an experienced captain in Shoaib Malik and seasoned coach in Tom Moody, the team is clearly gelling well together. They will look to extend their domination against the United who were absolutely demolished by Peshawar Zalmi earlier today.

Probable nature of the pitch

None of the games so far in the tournament has been a very high scoring one and that has a lot to do with the nature of the surface at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It hasn’t been a quick and bouncy surface which is generally ideal for T20 cricket. The pace of the wicket has been on the slower side which hasn’t allowed the batsman to hit their shots on the rise.

A drastically different surface for this game is unlikely. It should be a slow one again and the advisable word to the captains will be to make use of the better batting conditions by batting first. With more and more cricket being played on it, the surface will only get slower and timing the shots will be trickier.

Playing Combination

Islamabad United

What really hurt Islamabad United today is the fact that they didn’t have their regular captain Misbah-ul-Haq available. Rumman Raees filled in for him and he clearly looked out of sorts leading the side. There were a few bowling changes which were questionable and even field placements were as if he was following the ball. There is no update on how serious Misbah’s injury is, but the United will be keen to have him back.

If Misbah is fit, he should replace Hussain Talat in the XI and the rest of the team should remain the same. Alex Hales has not joined the camp yet, so they are opening with Chadwick Walton who had a good Caribbean Premier League a few months back and has built a good reputation as a T20 opener. Although he failed against Zalmi, he should get another game. Also, United will be looking for an inspiring performance from their most valuable player Andre Russell.

Predicted XI: Luke Ronchi, Chadwick Walton, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Misbah ul Haq (C), Samit Patel, Shadab Khan, Andre Russell, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees

Multan Sultans

The Sultans are absolutely flying. There is no weakness visible in their line-up at the moment. While they have experience, solidity and power in batting, they have enough variations in bowling for every stage of the innings. Two left arm fast bowlers that they have got are doing the job nicely upfront and setting it up for Imran Tahir to tighten the noose in the middle overs.

Batting wise, Kumar Sangakkara is as consistent as ever at the top of the order and he is getting able support from the other senior statesman in the side Shoaib Malik who played a match winning knock in the last game. Kieron Pollard hasn’t had the opportunity to come to the party yet, but he is another player in that batting order to watch out for.

Predicted XI: Kumar Sangakkara, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik (C), Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Sohail Tanvir, Saif Badar, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Imran Tahir

Here is what we at CricTracker predict for the game:

Probable Top Performers

Rumman Raees (Islamabad United) | Kumar Sangakkara (Multan Sultans)

Timing of the match: 05:00 pm IST

Broadcast Details

TV – D Sport

The prediction is for the Multan Sultans to beat the Islamabad United in this match.