After 30 thrilling and exciting league matches, it is time for the big ones in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 when defending champions Multan Sultans take on Lahore Qalandars in Wednesday’s Qualifier and Peshawar Zalmi go toe to toe against Islamabad United in Eliminator 1.
The winner of Wednesday fixture will progress to Sunday’s final, while the losing side will have another opportunity to qualify for the title match when they will meet Thursday’s winner on Friday. In this glorious game of uncertainties, its always difficult to predict winners but on present form, it appears the sides meeting on Wednesday may again face off against each other on Sunday.
Defending champions Multan Sultans won a record nine matches on their way to the playoff stage, while Lahore Qalandars lost four matches, including a Super Over thriller against Peshawar Zalmi on Monday. This gave Peshawar Zalmi their sixth win to tie with Lahore Qalandars, but were placed third on net run-rate. Islamabad United’s four wins were enough to put them in the top-four ahead of Quetta Gladiators (on net run-rate), while Karachi Kings managed just one win in 10 matches.
In the double-league stage, Sultans defeated Qalandars by five wickets but Qalandars came back strongly to win the return match by a convincing 52-run margin.
Similar is the story between Zalmi and United. United recorded a one-sided nine-wicket victory in the first match between the two sides at the National Stadium, before Zalmi held their serves to register a 10-run victory at the Gaddafi Stadium.—APP
