The first qualifier match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 was expected to be a thrilling contest between the two best teams of the league, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans. However, it turned out to be a one-sided affair as Multan Sultans thrashed Lahore Qalandars by 84 runs to secure their place in the final.
Multan Sultans, who finished at the top of the table with 14 points from 10 matches, opted to bat first after winning the toss at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. They got off to a shaky start as they lost their opener Shan Masood for a duck in the first over. Mohammad Rizwan and Sohaib Maqsood then steadied the innings with a 42-run partnership before Maqsood fell for 18.
Rizwan was joined by David Miller, who was playing his first match of the season after joining the squad as a replacement player. The duo added 55 runs for the third wicket and took Multan past 100 in the 14th over. Rizwan scored his fifth half-century of the season and looked set for a big score before he was dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi for 53 off 40 balls.
Miller also departed soon after for 36 off 28 balls as Lahore Qalandars clawed their way back into the game with some tight bowling and fielding. At one stage, Multan Sultans were reduced to 117 for six in the 17th over and seemed to be heading towards a modest total.
However, Kieron Pollard had other plans as he unleashed his power-hitting skills and changed the complexion of the game. The West Indian all-rounder smashed six sixes and two fours in his unbeaten knock of 57 off just 34 balls. He shared an unbroken stand of 43 runs with Imran Tahir for the seventh wicket and took Multan to a challenging total of 160 for six in their allotted overs.
Lahore Qalandars needed to chase down this target at eight runs per over to book their spot in the final. However, they never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals and succumbed to pressure. Their top order failed miserably as they were reduced to 25 for four in the sixth over. Fakhar Zaman, who was their leading run-scorer this season with four half-centuries, was dismissed for just five runs by Shahnawaz Dhani. Mohammad Hafeez, who had scored a century against Quetta Gladiators earlier this season, also fell cheaply for nine runs.
Sohail Akhtar, Ben Dunk and Rashid Khan also failed to make any impact as Lahore Qalandars kept losing momentum. The only resistance came from Tim David, who scored a fighting half-century off 35 balls with four sixes and three fours. He added some respectability to the scorecard with his lone effort but it was not enough to save his team from an embarrassing defeat. He was eventually run out for 54 off 38 balls as Lahore Qalandars folded up for 76 runs in just 15 overs.
Multan Sultans won by a huge margin of 84 runs and became the first team to qualify for PSL final this year. They will now wait for their opponents from the second qualifier match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, which will be played on March17th.Lahore Qalandars will have another chance to make it to the final as they will face the winner of Eliminator match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators, which will be played on March16th.
The man of match award went deservedly to Kieron Pollard, who turned out to be the difference between the two sides with his blistering knock. He also bowled two overs and took one wicket for just nine runs. This was a disappointing performance by Lahore Qalandars, who had topped the table last year but lost both their qualifier matches. They will have to regroup quickly and comeback stronger if they want to win their maiden PSL title this year.
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