Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the last encounter in the 2023 PSL
Multan Sultans take on Lahore Qalandars in the PSL8 final
The match is scheduled to start at 7pm local time (2pm GMT) on Saturday, March 18.
The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will play host to this fixture.
For the second consecutive season, Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars will face off in the PSL final.
Sultans reached their third final in a row after finishing second in the league stage and beating Qalandars in the Qualifier.
The defending champions finished top of the table but have taken an alternative route to their third final in four years - beating Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2 on Friday (March 17) to secure their place.
Qalandars won both of the league meetings between the two sides during the regular season. They won the opening game of the tournament by a single run, before easing to a 21-run success earlier this month.
But Sultans turned the tables in emphatic fashion in the all-important Qualifier in Lahore, claiming a huge 84-run win.
Sheldon Cottrell produced an inspired spell in the powerplay, finishing with figures of 3 for 20, as Qalandars were dismissed for just 76 in fewer than 15 overs.
One of the more eye-catching battles in that game came in the penultimate over of the Sultans' innings, when Kieron Pollard took down Shaheen Shah Afridi with three sixes.
How the Qalandars' death bowling pair of Afridi and Haris Rauf - who took punishment himself - limit the Sultans' middle-order power-hitters of Pollard, Tim David and Khusdil Shah will be key to both sides' chances.
Kieron Pollard [Arif Ali/Getty Images]
Sultans have had three days to prepare for the game so could go with the same side that beat Qalandars in the Qualifier.
The key decision surrounds whether Shan Masood returns to the top of the order. David Miller is missing having joined up with South Africa.
Qalandars must decide whether to rotate for their third game in four days or stick with the same side that helped them reach a third final in four seasons.
Hussain Talat is the most likely option to drop out of the XI with Kamran Ghulam waiting for his chance. But this is a settled Qalandars side, with eight of their squad having played at least 10 matches.
Multan Sultans: Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani (injured, February 15), Tim David, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, David Miller, Josh Little (injured, February 24), Akeal Hosein, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Sameen Gul, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sarwar, Arafat Minhas, Kieron Pollard, Ammad Butt, Wayne Parnell (partial/full replacement for Adil Rashid), Izharulhaq Naveed (partial replacement for David Miller), Mohammad Ilyas (replacement for Shahnawaz Dahani), Carlos Brathwaite (replaced Wayne Parnell)
Lahore Qalandars: Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings (partial replacement for Rashid Khan), Shane Dadswell (replacement for Harry Brook), Kusal Mendis (partial replacement for Jordan Cox), Shai Hope (replacement for Kusal Mendis)
*squads are for the overall competition and not specific to this match
Multan Sultans: Usman Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Khushdil Shah, Anwar Ali, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ilyas, Ihsanullah
Lahore Qalandars: Mirza Baig, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan
The final has been move forwards 24 hours in an effort to avoid the thunderstorms that are expected across Lahore this weekend.
Some rain is likely in the afternoon but it should clear by the early evening, meaning a result should be possible without the need for a reserve day.
Shaheen Shah Afridi's Qalandars are going for back-to-back titles [Arif Ali/Getty Images]
Sultans start the match as 10/11 favourite with the bookmakers, who are offering evens for a Qalandars victory.
Extra time to prepare for the match, coupled with their emphatic victory in the Qualifier gives Sultans the edge heading into their third straight final.
Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch PSL8 on A Sports, PTV Sports and TEN Sports on TV. Streamed matches will be available on Daraz App, tapmadTV and Tamasha.
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on Fox Sports (Australia), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Willow TV (North America), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Super Sport (sub-Saharan Africa) and, Etisalat and STARZPLAY (Mena).
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