Preview of Multan Sultans Vs. Quetta Gladiators

On Wednesday (February 15), the Multan Sultans (MUL) will take on the Quetta Gladiators (QUE) at the Multan Cricket Stadium in the third game of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023. The Sultans are coming off a narrow one-run loss to Lahore Qalandars in their opening game of the season. Despite the defeat, skipper Mohammad Rizwan was in great form, scoring 75 runs off just 50 deliveries. Shan Masood also played a crucial knock of 35 runs off 31 balls, but the rest of the batting order failed to step up.

For the Gladiators, the key player to watch out for will be Iftikhar Ahmed, who had a great outing in the Bangladesh Premier League. However, they will need to improve upon their performance from the last season, where they managed to win only four out of ten games and finished second-last in the points table. Sarfaraz Ahmed will be captaining the side again and will look to lead his team to a better finish this season.

Looking at the form guide, Multan Sultans have won three out of their last five matches, while the Quetta Gladiators have only managed to win one out of their last five. However, the head-to-head record between the two teams in the last five matches favors the Sultans, who have won three out of the last five encounters.

As for individual performances, Mohammad Rizwan has been in fantastic form and is the top run-scorer for the Sultans, while Shan Masood has also made valuable contributions with the bat. Usama Mir has been the standout bowler for the team, picking up two wickets with an average of 12 and an economy rate of 6.25.

For the Gladiators, Jason Roy is the top run-scorer with an impressive 303 runs from his last six matches. Ahsan Ali has also made significant contributions with the bat, scoring 250 runs from his last eight matches. Naseem Shah has been the team's best bowler, picking up 14 wickets from his last ten matches with an economy rate of 8.01 and a strike rate of 16. Mohammad Nawaz has also picked up six wickets from his last five matches.

The Multan Cricket Stadium has been favorable to both teams batting first and second, with a total of seven matches played at the venue so far. The average score batting first is 171, and the highest score has been 199/5 by the Multan Sultans, while the lowest score has been 123/10 by Peshawar Zalmi.

Overall, the match promises to be an exciting encounter between the two teams, with both sides looking to secure a victory and start their campaign on a positive note.