LAHORE – Multan Sultans made their HBL Pakistan Super League debut only in2018, but their popularity in the league is at par with any other team.Under a new owner, they are the most expensive HBL PSL franchise, accordingto a analysis made available to APP here on Sunday.Their popularity in Pakistan, especially in Southern Punjab, is set toincrease manifold as Shahid Afridi, the most eminent T20 player of thecountry, is among the new faces to join Sultans this season. The39-year-old veteran is in vintage form, and last month became the firstPakistani to achieve a double of 4,000 runs and 300 wickets in T20 cricket.Afridi’s destructive nature with the bat is well known and he will bejoined by another swashbuckling all-rounder Andre Russell, who comes in theteam as a replacement for the injured Steve Smith. Both Afridi and Russellhave a batting strike-rate in excess of 150.00 and together hit 500 plussixes in T20s.Russell has won two T20 World Cups with the Windies in 2012 and 2016 andwas also part of the Islamabad United side that won the HBL PSL in 2016 and2018.The highly experienced T20 player and captain Shoaib Malik will continue tolead the side after having performed the same duties in the previoustournament. Malik is the only Pakistani who has accumulated 8,000 plus runsin 20-over cricket.Shoaib Malik said: “HBL PSL is my favorite time of the year. It is afervour that spreads across the country and everyone is involved. I spentmost of my childhood in Karachi and it is like home for me, so my target isto play the final in that beautiful city on 17 March.”The tournament is a fantastic platform and I am so proud to be associatedwith it. I am more emotional about it probably because I vividly rememberthe days when PSL did not exist and there was no platform that could grabpeoples’ attention. I am very excited and looking forward to a bigger andbetter HBL PSL.”The left-arm pace duo of Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan will lead thebowling attack for the Sultans. Irfan is known for his miserly bowling andbowled 23 dot balls in a world record bowling spell in Barbados last year,whereas Junaid, one of the three bowlers to claim a hat-trick in the HBLPSL, is famous for his bowling in the death overs.The Sultans made their presence felt in the first appearance when at thehalfway stage, they were at the top of the points table after winning fourof the five completed matches. They had looked strong contenders to liftthe trophy, but their form nosedived in the second half of the tournamentas they finished outside the top four to miss out on the play-offs.With the world’s best all-rounders, a potent power-hitting unit and twoworld-class left-arm fast bowlers in their ranks, the Sultans will behoping to showcase better results this time.Their challenge starts on the second day of the tournament when they takeon Karachi Kings in Dubai on 15 February.
Squad (in pick order):Overseas: Andre Russell (West Indies), James Vince (England), Qais Ahmad(Afghanistan), Nicholas Pooran (West Indies), Lauri Evans (England), DanielChristian (Australia), Tom Moores (England).
Local: Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, ShanMasood, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Umar Siddiq, Nauman Ali,Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Ilyas, Ali Shafiq, Shakeel Ansar, Hammad Azam
Schedule of matches:
15 February – v Karachi Kings (d), Dubai
16 February – v Islamabad United (d), Dubai
20 February – v Quetta Gladiators (n), Sharjah
22 February – v Lahore Qalandars (d), Sharjah
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24 February – v Peshawar Zalmi, (d), Sharjah
26 February – v Islamabad United (n), Dubai
28 February – v Peshawar Zalmi (d), Dubai
1 March – v Quetta Gladiators (n), Dubai
4 March – v Karachi Kings (n), Abu Dhabi
10 March – v Lahore Qalandars (n), Lahore.
