Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi Match Preview – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Team News and Predictions – 17/3/2020
*Please note that since this preview was written, the Pakistan Super League has taken the decision to postpone all remaining matches in the 2020 season. They have suggested that the semi-finals and final will be rescheduled although when that will happen is unclear at the time of writing*
The 2020 Pakistan Super League has reached its business end, with the Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi among the final four cricket betting favourites for the tournament. They will contest the first semi-final, with the winner set to play the Karachi Kings or Lahore Qalandars in the final.
Our match preview has the latest team news, some free PSL betting tips and more, as the newest franchise to the PSL take on Zalmi team that have frequently made the play-offs, but never won a title. Cricket predictions are nicely primed ahead of this key clash.
Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi – Match Preview
Where: Gaddaffi Stadium, Lahore
When: Tuesday, 17 March 2020
Pitch conditions: The last three PSL matches at this ground have produced first-innings scores in the high 180s, but have all been won by the team batting second. This, indeed, is a good venue for chasing – and the toss-winning captain will likely opt to bowl first.
Weather conditions: The wet weathered that limited some of the matches earlier in the tournament won’t likely be around on Tuesday in Lahore, where a high of 27 degrees Celsius and humidity levels of 50 percent are expected.
Start Time: 18:30 (IST), 13:00 (GMT)
Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi – Latest Odds
The Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi are priced at 1.66 and 2.20, respectively, in the latest PSL odds from bet365 to win this match. They also have some good match handicap, top batsman and top bowler markets for this first semi-final.
Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi – Team News
Zalmi lost their last two matches of the group stage, but qualified for the semi-finals anyway. They won’t want to leave anything to chance again, so will probably make a change or two to their XI. They’ve been the hardest hit by several players’ decisions to leave the tournament due to the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic. They won’t have Tom Banton, Carlos Brathwaite, Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone, which puts a lore more onus on their remaining overseas players and local contingent to perform. Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, meanwhile, has joined the Zalmi squad.
The Sultans won’t have batsmen James Vince an Rilee Rossouw for the same reason. Moeen Ali and Ravi Bopara have stayed, though. Junaid Khan and Usman Qadir have joined the XI belatedly, with the left-arm seamer and leg-spinner needing strong showings if selected for this semi-final. Importantly, the Sultans didn’t have an over-reliance on their overseas stars during the round-robin, like some other franchises. They are still one of the popular cricket betting favourites for the title despite the loss of a couple of big assets from overseas.
Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi – Squads
| Multan Sultans |
Peshawar Zalmi |
| Shan Masood (captain) |
Wahab Riaz (captain) |
| Imran Tahir |
Mohammad Amir Khan |
| Moeen Ali |
Aamir Ali |
| Bilawal Bhatti |
Umar Amin |
| Shahid Afridi |
Rahat Ali |
| Sohail Tanvir |
Darren Sammy |
| Junaid Khan |
Hasan Ali |
| Mohammad Irfan |
Kamran Akmal |
| Ali Shafiq |
Mohammad Mohsin |
| Mohammad Faizan |
Haider Ali |
| Mohammad Ilyas |
Imam-ul-Haq |
| Fabian Allen |
Shoaib Malik |
| Zeeshan Ashraf |
Sikandar Raza |
| Rohail Nazir |
|
| Usman Qadir |
|
| Ravi Bopara |
|
Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi – Betting Tips and Prediction
Multan beat Peshawar on both occasions during the round-robin stage of the PSL 2020 and are favourites in the PSL betting for the semi-finals to do this again. Alternatively, those keen on Zalmi in the cricket predictions could turn to 2019’s record, when Peshawar beat Multan twice, for inspiration.
Shan Masood to be top batsman for Multan
Masood has captained Multan and been their best batsman through an excellent campaign, so far. If ever there was a time for him to really impress again, it’s this match. Masood hit eight and 28 against Zalmi earlier in the tournament – and is priced at 4.50 to be their top batsman in this match. For longer odds, you can get Shahid Afridi at 13.00 in the same category.
Wahab Riaz to be top bowler for Zalmi
Left-arm seamer Riaz took on the captaincy halfway through Zalmi’s campaign, after former skipper Darren Sammy was named new head coach overnight. Riaz hasn’t let the additional responsibility negatively affect his primary role with the ball and has taken the most wickets for the franchise this season. He is offered at 4.00 to be Zalmi’s top bowler in this match. For slightly shorter odds, Hasan Ali is at 3.60 in the same market.
Best Bet: Wahab Riaz to be the top bowler for Peshawar Zalmi at 4.00 with bet365
April 20, 2020 
19:00 
