The wait for the start of PSL finally ended as the defending champions and the runners-up of the previous season went head-to-head in the first game of the season. The two teams fought hard in a last-ball thriller as Lahore Qalandars eked out a win. Let’s take a look at the match happenings and the market changes.
Match 1: Multan Sultans vs. Lahore Qalandars
Lahore Qalandars 175 for 6 (Fakhar 66(↑27%), Shaheen 1/27(↑0%)) beat Multan Sultans Riders 174 for 6 (Rizwan 74(↑18%), Usama 2/25) by 1 run.
Multan Sultans invited Lahore Qalandars to bat first. The visitors got off to a solid start as the opening pair brought up 61 runs in 7.2 overs. The young opener Mirza Tahir Baig departed for 32, but Fakhar Zaman(↑27%) kept going. The left-hander scored 66 runs in just 42 balls. Hussain Talat and Sikandar Raza got 20(12) and 19*(14), respectively, to help the Qalandars get to 175 in 20 overs. Usama Mir and Ihsanullah picked a couple of wickets apiece.
The top-class opening duo of Mohammad Rizwan(↑18%) and Shan Masood(↓7%) started the chase exceptionally well. They brought up the 50-run partnership in the powerplay and went on to take the partnership to 100 runs. When the stand was broken, 76 runs were needed in 46 deliveries. Then, Rizwan added 31 more runs in 20 balls with David Miller.
Now, the equation changed to 45 off 26 with David Miller and Kieron Pollard at the crease. The hosts looked like favourites, but Shaheen Shah Afridi(↑0%) was in no mood to give up. His last 2 overs went for just 16 and also brought the all-important wicket of Rizwan. Haris Rauf also gave away only 18 runs in his final 2 overs and castled David Miller to dent the Sultans’ hopes.
With 15 required to get in the final over, the young Zaman Khan was given the responsibility. His first 2 deliveries went for just 2 runs, and the dangerous Pollard ran himself out on the second ball. Another wicket fell the next ball, and it looked all over for Multan. But, with 10 needed off 2, Khushdil Shah smashed a four to keep things interesting. The last ball also went for 4 as the Multan Sultans fell short by just one run.
SportiScore Analysis
The top run-getter of PSL 2022 started PSL 2023 in the same form. Fakhar Zaman(↑27%) played a splendid knock of 66 runs in just 42 balls. His innings included 3 fours and 5 maximums, and he was the top-scorer from his side. Consequently, he was awarded Player of the Match and earned 38 SportiScores.
The top run-scorer is followed by the second-highest run-getter of the previous season. Mohammed Rizwan(↑18%) bagged 31 SportiScore points due to his innings of 75 runs in 50 balls. Rizwan whacked 8 fours and a six in his outing with the bat. Shaheen Shah Afridi(↑0%) returned with the figures of 1 for 27 in 4 overs to grab 11.55 points.
Let’s see the performances and SportiScores of the most prominent players on day 1:
Player Performance SportiScores Earned
Fakhar Zaman 66(42) 38
Mohammad Rizwan 75(50) 31
Shaheen Shah Afridi 1/27 11.55
Shan Mashood 35(31) 3.6
Khushdil Shah 12(6) 0
Market Update
Fakhar Zaman(↑27%) started his PSL 2023 campaign with a price increase of 27.6 SPQs. Mohammed Rizwan’s(↑18%) price also went north by 19.8 SPQs. Shaheen Shah Afridi’s(↑0%) price stayed almost the same, while Shan Masood’s(↓7%) price came down by 8.4 SPQs.
Let’s find out in detail how the prices have changed for the top players after the first day of the league:
Player SportiScores 13 Feb Price 14 Feb Price % Change Cumulative SPQs Earned
Fakhar Zaman 38 104.00 131.6 27% 38.00
Mohammad Rizwan 31 112.00 131.8 18% 31.00
Shaheen Shah Afridi 11.55 118.00 117.75 0% 11.55
Shan Mashood 3.6 110.00 102.6 -7% 3.60
Khushdil Shah 0 110 108.6 -0.01% 9.6
