As the regular season of PSL 7 comes to a close the four teams headed to the playoffs have plenty to ponder ahead of what promises to be a riveting final round to crown the champion of the Pakistan Super League.
Here we take a look at every team’s biggest reason to worry before the PSL Season 7 Playoffs commence.
Multan Sultans: PSL Season 7 Playoffs
It is hard to find faults in a team that has only dropped one contest in the tournament. The Sultans have been perfect in every facet of the game thus far. Mohammad Rizwan’s meteoric rise shows no signs of slowing down. Shaan Masood has blown his critics away with virtuoso performances in almost every game. Multan has accrued a perfect blend of aggression and sensibility with Tim David, Khushdil Shah, and Riley Rossouw hammering opposition bowlers when their openers fail.
Their bowlers are not far from perfect either. Imran Tahir has dented the spirits of their opponents continuously while Shahnawaz Dahani, David Willey, and their rotation of bowlers have rarely put a foot wrong.
Therein lies the only feasible problem with this team. They have not truly been tested in any of the games they have played. They have plowed through everything in their path. Winning during the regular games is one thing but the playoffs come with their own set of rules. If they maintain the same form, however, it is hard to see anyone preventing them from winning a second consecutive title this season.
Lahore Qalandars: PSL Season 7 Playoffs
Lahore has the unprecedented honor of being the only team to defeat Multan this season. Fakhar Zaman has been stellar for his team. In Harry Brook, they have uncovered a hidden gem that can be aggressive when the situation demands it and absolutely clinical when a more methodical approach is required. David Wiese, Phil Salt, Abdullah Shafique have managed decent contributions as well and Shaheen has more than held his share both as captain and opening bowler.
The most worrying sign for them is the absence of their enigmatic leg spinner Rashid Khan for the playoffs. While they have enough firepower on both sides of the ball on paper, the loss of arguably the best bowler in this format is surely a detriment for this team. If they can overcome that, this may be Lahore’s best chance at winning the title.
Peshawar Zalmi:
Peshawar Zalmi has had an up and down tournament thus far. While they have made the playoffs once again, the most worrying sign for them is that they have been trounced at least once by all the remaining teams.
Hazratullah Zazai Kamran Akmal or any other batsmen has largely failed to provide a decent opening. Shoaib Malik, Liam Livingston, and Hussain Talat have all been a hit or miss thus far. Zalmi has also lost the services of Sherfane Rutherford leaving them short of power-hitting options.
Their bowling has been suspect as well. Wahab Riaz has leaked runs when not on the song and Saqib Mahmood and Usman Qadir have been subpar for most of the tournament. The only realistic path to their second title is for any of their mavericks to have a phenomenal post-season.
Islamabad United:
Islamabad United were in a fairly comfortable spot midway through the tournament. Then Alex Hales and Paul Stirling left the team and their comfort levels started to drop.
Shadab Khan managed to steady the ship with his all-around performances but then suffered a groin injury which remains Islamabad United’s biggest reason to worry in the playoffs.
If they can get him healthy and playing at his level best, Islamabad may stand a chance at beating the odds and annexing a third title to their name.
