Multan join the Pakistan Super League as the sixth team for the 2018 edition of the tournament. Will they make their mark with an impressive showing in the first season?

By Taimoor Khan (15th February, 2018)

The third edition of the PSL sees the birth of a new team that increases the total tally of teams to six for PSL 2018. Being a new team gives them the advantage of going into the tournament with no baggage from previous tournaments. Nevertheless, being the new kid on the block doesn't mean they should be taken lightly, as they have done a good job to recruit big names that have represented other PSL teams in the past. 

For the think tank, Multan Sultan was able to land Wasim Akram as director cricket and Tom Moody as Head Coach. Both of these are huge signings, as Akram has been part of the set-up that won Islamabad United their first PSL trophy in the inaugural tournament. Moody himself is a renowned coach who has coached T20 teams around the world, one of them being Sunrisers Hyderabad who won the IPL in 2016 under his tutelage.

The man to lead the Multan Sultan troops on the ground is Shoaib Malik. Malik might prove to be a very good choice for captaincy, as he has the required experience and camaraderie with foreign players that one gains by playing in T20 leagues around the world. He has a good track record when it comes to captaining T20 sides, as in the recent past, he has been able to lead the Sialkot team to the domestic T20 title several times. He can be very handy with the bat in the shorter format of the game and can bowl a few overs when required. Multan seem to be lacking in the spin department, so expect him to bowl at least couple of overs each game. 

Their batting reserves look aplenty, with a good mixture of experience and upcoming talent. 

In Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Nicholas Pooran and Kumar Sangakkara, they have a capable top order that can pile on the runs when they get going. Shehzad has recently reminded spectators of his innate ability to play breathtaking shots in the recent New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I series, but Masood has undoubtedly underachieved in this format. He is in red hot form in the 50 over format as seen in the recent domestic One-Day tournaments and would be looking to carry that momentum over into the shorter format. 

Emerging players such as Saif Badar and Abdullah Shafique could benefit greatly from Sangakkara's presence and wisdom, as he is easily their most accomplished batsman due to his success in all formats on the international level. His advice and mentoring could go a long way to help these players in all formats of the game. He is likely to act as the anchor of the team and look to bat out the 20 overs.

Lower down the order will be where Kieron Pollard will look to cement his spot, who is a heavyweight in the international T20 circuit in his own right. Followers of T20 cricket know just how devastating Pollard can be on his day, and oppositions will be wary of his ability to switch gears when the need arises. Consistency is not Pollard's strong suit, which often means playing him is a gamble. He will have to click if Multan intend on getting to the latter stages of the tournament. He will be accompanied by country-mate Darren Bravo, who is yet another good pick. In the last edition of the CPL, he helped his team chase down 86 in 32 balls by hitting 6 sixes in just 10 balls. Sohaib Maqsood should accompany these two batsmen in the middle order, who will still be trying to perform consistently enough that the selectors take note of him. 

Their bowling department looks very capable indeed, but with a few questionable choices. The leader will undoubtedly be Imran Tahir, the Pakistani-born South African leggie who has arguably been the best LOI spinner of the past couple of years. With his deceptive googlies and variation of pace, he is bound to pick up wickets and setup match winning opportunities for Multan. A massive pick for them indeed! Another leg-spin option for Multan exists in the form of Irfan Khan, popularly known as Mohammad Irfan from FATA who has impressed with his repertoire of skills in domestic limited-over games. 

Junaid Khan will be a man seeking to redeem himself after some questionable performances in the previous PSL. He can prove to be a wicket taking option but needs to be able to contain runs as well. The pitches in UAE aren't likely to favour him, so variation will be key.

Accompanying Junaid in the fast bowling department will be Mohammed Irfan, Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Abbas. It's expected that Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan would ideally be in the playing 11. The competition between the 3rd pacer spot should be between Irfan and Abbas. Irfan is notoriously known to have poor fitness and injury related issues, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Abbas in the playing 11 more often than not. 

All in all, Multan Sultans have assembled a squad with a good mix of experience and youth. Only time will tell how they perform, but a lack of consistent fast bowling options might hurt their chances to win the title. Being a new team has its advantages and disadvantages, but the biggest advantage undoubtedly has to be the element of unpredictability that being a new outfit brings to the table that can get the better of Multan's opposition. Kashif Bhatti, Irfan Khan and Abdullah Shafique are relatively new players on the scene, and if used properly, might even hold the secret to Multan's success in this tournament.

Prediction: If they perform well as a unit, they can make it to the semi-finals.

Player to watch: Saif Badar has been hyped up by many to be Pakistan's next batting sensation. The PSL has been a platform where young players have made a name for themselves, and he looks set to be the next one. 

Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 2018: Shoaib Malik (c), Kieron Pollard, Imran Tahir, Kumar Sangakkara, Sohail Tanvir, Darren Bravo, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Ahmed Shehzad, Kashif Bhatti, Irfan Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Abbas, Nicolas Pooran, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Saif Badar.

Supplementary: Hardus Viljoen, Umar Gul, Umar Siddiq, Ross Whiteley.

Cover: Zahir Khan for Nicolas Pooran, Thisara Perera for Imran Tahir.

Discuss!