Over the years, Multan Sultans have become the bogey team of Quetta Gladiators. The recent head-to-head record suggests that domination. A remarkable and interesting fact is that after Mohammad Rizwan became a Sultan in 2021, the Multan side has beaten Quetta Gladiators in seven out of eight matches with just one defeat. This includes a sequence of seven consecutive wins for Multan Sultans. No other team in the PSL has such a domination over any of the other sides.
Rizwan has been the linchpin for Multan Sultans against Quetta Gladiators, scoring 373 runs in eight matches at a strike-rate of 132.74. Rile Rossouw with 290 and Shan Masood with 286 are the other notable contributors. Imran Tahir has been the main destroyer of Quetta, grabbing 15 wickets in seven matches, while Englishman David Willey has dismissed 11 Quetta batters in just four games.
Multan’s total of 262 against Quetta Gladiators in Rawalpindi in the 2023 edition remains the highest total in the history of Pakistan Super League. This is also the highest-ever target successfully chased in a PSL game.
Here we look at the five most memorable matches between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators.
January 31, 2022 PSL 7, Karachi
Multan Sultans won by 6 runs
Shan Masood starred with the bat while bowlers changed the fate of the match as Multan Sultans edged out Quetta Gladiators by six runs in a crucial encounter.
Quetta Gladiator captain Sarfaraz Ahmed fielded after winning the toss and strangled a strong Multan Sultans batting line-up. Pacer Mohammad Hasnain removed Mohammad Rizwan with a beauty in the second over of the match to jolt Multan Sultans at the outset. Masood held the innings with a fighting 88 that came off 58 balls and were laced with four sixes and six well-timed boundaries. Tim David was excellent in the slog overs, knocking two maximum and a boundary in his 16-ball 28 not out. Rilee Rossouw and Sohaib Maqsood made small contributions of 21 each to take their team to a fighting total of 174-4 in 20 overs.
Khushdil Shah and David Willey opened the bowling in a spin-cum-pace attack and kept the chase in check. The left-arm spinner removed Ahsan Ali (24) and Will Smeed (three) to give Multan Sultans a good start. Ben Duckett (32-ball 47 with a six and six fours) and Iftikhar Ahmed (13-ball 30 with three sixes and a boundary) kept their team in the chase.
Imran Tahir got the key wicket of Duckett to jolt the Gladiators. Iftikhar Ahmed tried valiantly to guide the team to the target, hitting three sixes and a boundary in his 13-ball 30 but in the end, it proved too late.
February 18, 2022, PSL 7, Lahore
Multan Sultans won by 117 runs
Multan Sultans were in ruthless form as they were defending the PSL title they won a year before, winning eight of their first nine matches with the win over Gladiators. Their 117-run win was then the highest margin of victory in all PSL editions before Lahore Qalandars bettered it with a 119-run thrashing of Islamabad United in the 2023 edition.
Batting by choice, Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood raced to 119 in 12 overs, setting an ideal platform for the later batters. Rizwan was more aggressive in his approach, carting three sixes and seven hits to the rope with consummate ease during his 54-ball 83 not out. Masood was equally fiery, cracking 38-ball 57 with a maximum and six boundaries. Rilee Rossouw then took over to clobber four sixes and nine boundaries in his whirlwind 26-ball 71 to give the real impetus to the innings as a whopping 126 runs came in the last eight overs. Rossouw’s fireworks took Multan Sultans to 245-3 then the second highest total in all PSL, now fourth.
Left-armers David Willey and Asif Afridi shook Quetta with wickets of Will Smeed and Ahsan Ali respectively. Umar Akmal tried his valiant best with a fighting 23-ball 50, hitting half a dozen sixes and two boundaries but did not get any support from the rest of the batters.
In the end Quetta Gladiators were bowled out in 15.5 overs for 128. All Multan Sultans bowlers were effective with Willey, Asif, Khushdil Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani taking two wickets each. Imran Tahir took one.
March 11, 2023 PSL 7, Rawalpindi
Multan Sultans won by 9 runs
The match will be remembered for Usman Khan’s fastest PSL hundred off just 36 balls which enabled Multan Sultans to 262-3 in their 20 overs – to date the highest total in PSL history.
On a batting friendly Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch, Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed decided to bowl first and chase under light. But in the end, it cost him dearly.
Usman and Mohammad Rizwan knocked a big 157 runs in the first 10 overs, with a big 91 runs coming in the powerplay – the highest in PSL. Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmed was hit for 27 in an over during which Usman completed his hundred off just 36 balls. Usman’s knock finally ended at 120 off 43 balls with 12 boundaries and nine sixes. Rizwan scored 29-ball 55 with two sixes and six boundaries. Tim David gave the final touches to the innings, cracking 25-ball 43 with four maximum and a boundary.
Quetta lost their aggressor Jason Roy early for just six but Omair Bin Yousuf (36-ball 67 with three sixes and seven boundaries) and Martin Guptill (13-ball 37 with four sixes and two boundaries) lifted the Gladiators. But fiery pacer, Ihsanullah removed both to check the run scoring. It was Iftikhar Ahmed, who scored a brisk 31-ball 53 with four sixes and as many boundaries, to revive the chase. Umar Akmal knocked 10-ball 28 with four towering sixes and two boundaries. Pacer Abbas Afridi then took over as from 208-5 Quetta slumped to 253 all out. Abbas finished with 5-47 in his four overs to give Multan Sultans a nine-run win.
March 7, 2018 PSL 3, Dubai
Quetta Gladiators won by two wickets
This was a match always remembered for a devastating bowling feat by former Pakistan international Umar Gul who rocked Quetta Gladiators with figures of 6-24 but still finished on the losing side. This remains the third best bowling figures in PSL history, behind Karachi Kings’s Ravi Bopara (6-16) and Islamabad United’s Faheem Ashraf (6-19).
It was Sarfaraz Ahmed who won the toss for Quetta Gladiators and seeing good bowling conditions he sent Multan Sultans into bat. It was the spin of Mohammad Nawaz that brought the downfall of the world’s renowned batter Kumar Sangakkara off the very first ball of the match. Medium pacer Anwar Ali made it 3-2 when he had Ahmed Shahzad caught behind for just one.
Sohaib Maqsood (27) and promoted Sohail Tanvir (19) took the total to 41 when Shane Watson dismissed Tanvir. Shoaib Malik then held the innings with a pugnacious 43-ball 65 that contained three sixes and four boundaries. Ross Whitley 16 and Kieron Pollard 15 gave the innings final touches but Multan Sultans managed a below-par total of 152-5 in 20 overs.
Watson with 26 and Asad Shafiq with 20 gave Quetta a sound start of 48 before Gul came into his own. He dismissed both the openers while Malik accounted for Kevin Pietersen for five to give Multan Sultans some hope of defending the total.
Gul continued to get wickets but small contributions of 27 by Rilee Rossouw and 22 from Rameez Raja junior kept Quetta afloat. Pollard was given the task of defending nine off the final over. It came down to three of the last two when former Pakistan Under-19 skipper Hassan Khan sent a slower one from Pollard sailing over the cow corner to snatch victory for Quetta
February 25, 2024 Multan, PSL 9
Multan Sultans won by 13 runs
Multan Sultans had a resounding start to their 2024 campaign, winning four of their first five games. They beat Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators while going down to Peshawar Zalmi – all at their home ground.
The win over Quetta was achieved by defending a 181-run target. Quetta Gladiators had won the toss and opted to bowl first on a dry Multan Stadium pitch. South African opener Reeza Hendricks smashed four sixes and seven boundaries in his speedy 72 runs knock that came off 47 balls. Mohammad Rizwan, who scored 42-ball 51 with four sixes and two boundaries, and Tayyab Tahir’s 35 lifted their team to a good total of 180-4.
In response, Quetta Gladiators against some tight pace bowling by Mohammad Ali (3-19) and David Willey (3-37) as they found the going tough. Quetta depended more on English opener Jason Roy who was bowled by Ali for 12. Khawaja Nafay (36), Rilee Rossouw (30), Saud Shakeel (24) and Sherfane Rutherford (21) all made good starts but no one played the much-needed big innings. Quetta finished on 167-9.
