This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

The eighth edition of the all-exciting Pakistan Super League (PSL) is all set to kick-start on February 13 with the defending champions Lahore Qalandars locking horns with Multan Sultans in a repeat of last season’s final. Courtesy of impressive outings last season, the Shaheen-led Lahore Qalandars clinched their maiden PSL title and will look to defend it this season. 

He has been Pakistan’s mainstay in the bowling department for the last five years since making his international debut in 2018. However, a knee injury has been bothering him lately. Now, after a three-month long hiatus, he will stage a return to competitive cricket in Lahore’s title defence in the eighth edition. Fans will be eager to witness the deadly duo of Shaheen and Haris Rauf decking the rival batting line-up and getting their names among the list of highest wicket-takers. 

On the other hand, Multan Sultans relished an impressive run last season only to bow down to Lahore in the summit clash. Their premier batter Mohammad Rizwan has been in tremendous form as he got 351 runs for the Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in just ten games at an average of 50.14 which also included four half-centuries. 

While there are numerous duels to watch out for, the most interesting of them all could be the Rizwan versus Shaheen Afridi, batting maestro versus swing merchant at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Speaking about their head-to-head records in their last five outings, Multan have the slight upper hand with three wins to Lahore’s two. 

Both teams will be aiming to kick-start the season with results in their favour. While Lahore will aim to continue their fine dominance from the previous season, Multan will look for redemption at their home ground and turn the tables around. An exciting clash awaits as it remains to be seen what transpires between the two heavyweights in the first match of the league.