Multan Sultans will play Islamabad United for the Orion trophy in the HBL PSL 9 final on 18 March 2024 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium. Bowling begins at 9pm, and the toss is at 8:30pm. Sultans will play their fourth straight final after defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier. They won the 2021 edition and came second in the next two, while Lahore Qalandars won two consecutive titles.United defeated Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi in the eliminators to qualify for the final after finishing third. United will play their first final since winning the HBL PSL in 2018.
Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United: The Final Battle
Multan Sultans had 14 points after winning seven of ten games before the playoffs. Five wins for United, however their home game against Lahore Qalandars was rained out. United tied fourth-placed Quetta Gladiators with 11 points.
Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan of Multan are the second and third top run-getters of the tournament, behind Babar Azam of Peshawar Zalmi, who scored 569 runs in 11 innings, including five half-centuries and one century.
In four innings, Rizwan has scored 382 runs and four half-centuries. Usman has scored 373 runs in six games with two centuries and a half-century.
Islamabad United’s top scorer is Colin Munro with 309 runs from nine games and three fifties. This season, Islamabad captain Shadab Khan has scored 301 runs, including three half-centuries, and claimed 11 wickets in 11 games.
Usama Mir, the Sultans’ spin attack leader, holds the Inverex Fazal Mahmood Cap as the tournament’s best wicket-taker. He has 23 wickets in 11 games, including a six-wicket haul. His 23 wickets are the most by any spinner in one HBL PSL edition and are only two wickets behind Hasan Ali’s 25 wickets, which has not been beaten since 2019.
Sultans right-arm bowler Mohammad Ali, playing his first HBL PSL competition, has 18 wickets in 11 games, the most in the tournament.
Naseem Shah, who joined Islamabad United before HBL PSL 9, has the most wickets. The right-arm seamer has taken 15 wickets in 10 games as Islamabad’s bowling leader.
Official Statements | Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United
Shadab Khan: “I’m proud of my team for standing tall in crucial situations and reaching the HBL PSL final after five years. We assembled the squad with this in mind, and all the players performed well in the group stage and playoffs. Islamabad winning the title for the third time will be wonderful, and I’m excited to face Multan Sultans in the final. We hope our hitters and bowlers will play as well as they have all season to win the championship.”
Mohammad Rizwan: “I am proud of my team’s tournament performance. The youngsters showed great warrior spirit throughout the event. Our daring and fearless players helped us when we were behind.
“The team is well-rounded. Our natives, foreigners, and young players have excelled. In the previous four weeks, our team has gelled well, which helps.
