LAHORE: In the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 7, the home side Lahore Qalandars will face the defending champions Multan Sultans, to seek glory here at Gaddafi Stadium.

The two top sides at the end of the PSL 7 group stage – Qalandars and Sultans will be locking horns in the final of the mega event. The Qalandars eye first PSL 7 title victory, while the Sultans are all set to defend their title.

For the Sultans, their skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood will play a key role as the defending champions rely heavily on their opening stand.

The Sultans’ middle-order has also been put to the test numerous times in the marquee event and it also has the firepower to turn the game on its head. Rilee Rossouw, Khusdhil Shah, and Aamer Azmat are in great touch.

Tim David’s return has also strengthened the side as he is currently leading the six-hitting chart in this year’s PSL.

In the bowling department, the defending champions are laced with the sheer pace; having David Willey and Shahnawaz Dahani in their line-up, while Rumman Raees can deceive the batters with his amazing variations. Khushdil Shah, on the other hand, has turned out to be a trump card for Sultans with his bowling abilities.

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The Qalandars will be backing themselves quite heavily despite their defeat against the Sultans in the qualifier as the home side has found the lost momentum with their stunning victory over Islamabad United in the second eliminator.

Fakhar Zaman, who has been the player to rely on has been silent in his previous outings. Whereas, the home side will want him to chip in on the big stage to steer the Qalandars to the PSL triumph.

Apart from Fakhar, young Abdullah Shafique can play a vital role for the Qalandars as the young right-handed batter played a sensational knock in his last outing against the United.

The South-African all-rounder can also play a major role in his side’s success with his brilliant all-round performance as the 36-years-old is firing both with the bat and ball.

The bowling department, which is considered as the strength of the Qalandars, laced with the skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Samit Patel, David Wiese, and Mohammad Hafeez can post a major threat to the Sultans’ comprehensive batting unit.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-12, Multan Sultans-7, Lahore Qalandars-5