The Mohammad Rizwan-led Multan Sultans secured their place in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final for the fourth year in a row with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Babar Azam's Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday, March 14. Multan emerged champions in 2021 but fell short in the finals for the past two seasons, losing to the Lahore Qalandars. Meanwhile, Babar Azam's Peshawar Zalmi will have another shot at reaching the final. They will face the winner of the eliminator match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on Saturday, March 16.
Multan chased down a modest target of 147 runs with 7 wickets remaining and 1.3 overs to spare. Openers Yasir Khan (54 runs) and Usman Khan (36* runs) laid a strong foundation with a 61-run partnership.
Bowling Woes for Peshawar Zalmi
The absence of key fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq due to international commitments significantly weakened Peshawar's bowling attack as they found themselves unable to defend the low score. Yasir Khan played a crucial role, scoring a half-century off just 30 balls. He dominated the early stages alongside captain Mohammad Rizwan (15 runs).
ALSO READ: Big News: Delhi Capitals announce 29-ball centurion as Lungi Ngidi's replacement for IPL 2024
Usman Maintains Form
Usman Khan continued his impressive form, becoming the first player in PSL history to score two centuries in a single season. He remained unbeaten with a well-composed 36 runs. Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the victory for Multan with a rapid 22 runs off just 8 balls.
Choosing to bat first, Peshawar faced early challenges against both pace and spin bowling. David Willey dismissed the dangerous Saim Ayub in the first over, while Mohammad Haris' struggles continued with an underwhelming dismissal inside the powerplay.
Babar Azam's sluggish knock
Despite the early setbacks, captain Babar Azam, the tournament's leading run scorer, managed to top-score with a steady 46 runs off 42 balls. However, the middle overs saw a shift as spinners Usama Mir (2 wickets for 16 runs) and Ahmed (0 wickets for 9 runs) effectively restricted the Peshawar batsmen.
Chris Jordan further tightened the grip by dismissing Babar with a well-executed yorker in the 13th over. His variations in the death overs proved too much to handle, restricting Peshawar to a meager 38 runs in the final five overs.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
EXCLUSIVE: Ajinkya Rahane says 'I am not in bad form' after Mumbai's Ranji Trophy triumph, wants to do same in IPL
LSG sign former Australia batter with 61.87 Test average as consultant a week ahead of IPL 2024
Will captain Shreyas Iyer join KKR camp in IPL 2024 after injury scare? New update clears the air
