The Eliminator 1, the first knockout of the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 11) will be played today between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi stadium. The contest is set to start at 7 pm.
In this season of the tournament Multan has been one of the most consistent sides. They won six of their 10 matches, they almost got the first two positions in the group stage.
The reason for their success is due to the balanced squad they built where they combined overseas experience with local talent.
Sahibzada Farhan comes at the top of the order and has been in excellent form, He has scored two half-centuries and one century.
Multan Sultans also have Steve Smith and he has provided the team with stability through his composed batting.
Both of these players have together formed one of the most dependable partnerships of the season.
Josh Phillippe is also another important member of the team. He and Shan Masood offer the very much needed calm support in the middle order.
The Kingsmen team on the other hand is arriving with strong momentum. They won four of their last five matches. Their display against Rawalpindiz was one of the most impressive performances in PSL.
The batting lineup of Kingsmen is led by Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khan and Marnus Labuschagne.
All these players have proven their ability to score quickly and change the course of matches in a short period.
However, Hyderabad has not been very consistent. Pacers Akif Javed and Hunain Shah have conceded a lot of runs.
There have been four matches where Hyderabad Kingsmen allowed totals that were above 180 runs.
Hyderabad Kingsmen’s bowling attack remains a concern however Mohammad Ali has shown promise.
The teams do not have a long history; they have both gotten one victory in their previous matches against each other.
The fact that Hyderabad has won over Multan Sultans indicates that Hyderabad can cause upsets.
Also read: PSL 11: Peshawar Zalmi qualify for final after beating Islamabad United
