Lahore Qalandars Won The PSL 8 Opening Match

After a magnificent PSL 8 opening, PSL defending champions Lahore Qalandars won the PSL 8 opening match against Multan Sultans. On Feb 13, Multan Sultans won the toss and decided to ball first. At first, it looked like a good decision by the MS’s captain, Mohammad Rizwan. But their performance wasn’t good enough, especially their balling. Consequently, Lahore Qalandars were victorious in the first match of PSL 8 between MS vs LQ.

MS vs LQ Match 01: Summary

MS vs LQ rivalry is famous because Multan Sultans were playing against Lahore Qalandars in the finals of PSL 7. So, Lahore Qalandars had to win this match to show that they are the best. But Multan Sultans were also not that bad. It’s just that luck was not on their side.

Additionally, the Qalandars made a total of 175 runs with a loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs. But Multan Sultans were not able to chase the target of 176 runs. Multan Sultan’s bowling was not as good as it should have been. Having players like Shahnawaz Dhani, Ihsanullah, and Usama Mir, who have shown before what they are capable of.

But they were not able to hold the Lahore Qalandars batting. Meanwhile, LQ’s batting was marvelous as Fakhar Zaman played a magnificent inning and was able to score 66 runs off 42 balls. He got the title of “Man of the match”. It was his seventh fifty against Multan Sultans in his PSL career. Additionally, he has only played 14 matches against Multan Sultans in the previous seasons.

On the other hand, Mohammad Rizwan also played very well as he scored 75 runs from 50 balls only. Rizwan hit seven fours during his turn and was able to come up with fifty after 35 balls. He did great in the MS vs LQ but it was not enough to make their team victorious.

Here is the playing XI of both teams from the latest PSL 8 opening match of MS VS LQ.

Lahore Qalandars Batting

Lahore Qalandars were looking in a great mood at the home ground of their opponent. Additionally, Fakhar Zaman and Mirza Tahir Baig proved to be a dangerous opening pair in the PSL 8 opening match. Their partnership led them to put in 61 runs on the scoreboard in just 7 overs of their batting. Baig secured 32 runs from 26 balls.

After the dismissal of Baig, Shai Hope of the Lahore Qalandars came to bat and started to put up some valuable scores on the board. Hope hit two sixes in his 14-balls innings. But he gave a catch to Kieron Pollard. However, he did his job and contributed excellently.

In the fourth position, Kamran Ghulam (a very talented batsman) came to bat. However, fast-bowler Ihsanullah bold him on the very third ball. Sikandar Raza came in place of Kamran Ghulam. Like Shai Hope, he also did a great effort and made 19 runs off 14 balls with two sixes during his batting.

Then suddenly, the tide changed and both Sikandar Raza and Fakhar Zaman got out. Akeal Hosein too a great catch of Fakhar from just over the boundary. Here is when Lahore Qalandars got a little nervous. However, Fakhar played beautifully and won the “Man of the match” title.

Hussain Talat and David Wiese, both are hard-hitting batsmen. Talat made 20 runs off 12 balls while Wiese only got to make 5 runs off 4 balls. On the last ball of Lahore Qalandars batting, Shahnawaz Dhani bold David Wiese.

Multan Sultans Bowling

In a nutshell, Multan Sultans’ bowling was not great. But they did their job and hold off Lahore Qalandars at 175 runs Additionally, Shahnawaz Dhani did not do so well in this match followed by Sameen Gul. He also made a big blunder in getting Fakhar Zaman out.

Multan Sultan decided to let Sameen Gul ball in the PSL 8 opening match. But this decision was not good as Gul did not take any wickets and turned out to be the least economical bowler. He allowed Lahore Qalandars to make 41 runs in his 4 overs of balling.

Moreover, he had the chance to run out the batsmen while he was only half off the pitch. But Dhani aimed for the wickets and missed. Instead, he should have run out the batsmen with the ball in his hand. Dhani got just one wicket from David Wiese at the end of LQ’s innings.

Read More: PSL 8 Replacement Draft Announced!

In contrast, Ihsanullah, Usama Mir, and Akeal Hosein did great during MS bowling. In short, they saved Multan Sultans from collapsing by Lahore Qalandars. Both Ihsanullah and Usama Mir got two wickets from last night’s MS vs LQ.

Multan Sultans Batting

Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan efficiently did the opening against Lahore Qalandars. But Shan Masood got out after he made 35 runs off 31 balls. On the other hand, Rizwan played like he always does, He started to make up some essential runs and scored fifty off 35 balls only. He did what was expected of him from the start.

In the third position, David Miller came to bat and scored 25 runs off 20 balls and got out. Then Shaheen Shah Afridi to the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan. Afterward, Kieron Pollard scored 20 runs from just 12 balls but he was run out by Hussain Talat. Moving forward, Khushdil Shah came and stood his ground but he was not able to make Multan Sultans successful in this match.

Usman Khan came to bat but he did not make even a single run. Zaman Khan took his wicket on his very first ball by lbw. Consequently, Usama Mir got to bat and was run out while he did not even play a single ball. That was a sign of bad running. At this point, every batsman should run as his life depends on it. But sometimes luck does not do very well and it happens

At the last ball, only six runs were required by MS to win the match. Khushdil Shah tried his best but was not able to make it. As a result, Lahore Qalandars won the PSL 8 opening match.

Lahore Qalandars Bowling

All the bowlers from Lahore Qalandars bowled beautifully. LQ had to ball like none other especially when you have bowlers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hairs Rauf. Hussain Talat took the wicket of Shan Masood. Then Shaheen took out the blood and bolded Rizwan. Hairs Rauf also bolded David Miller beautifully and made himself valuable as always. Zaman Khan also took the wicket of Usman Khan.

FAQs:

Who were the opponents in the PSL 8 opening match for Lahore Qalandars?

In the PSL 8 opening match, Lahore Qalandars faced off against [Opponent’s Name], marking the beginning of the tournament.

How did Lahore Qalandars perform in the PSL 8 opening match?

Lahore Qalandars emerged victorious in the PSL 8 opening match, showcasing a stellar performance that led them to secure a win against their opponents.

Who were the standout players for Lahore Qalandars in the opening match of PSL 8?

Shaheen Afridi and Fakhar Zaman were among the standout performers for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 8 opening match, contributing significantly to their team’s success.

Conclusion:

In an exciting start to the PSL 8 tournament, Lahore Qalandars triumphed in the opening match against [Opponent’s Name]. The team’s exceptional performance on the field, combined with the standout contributions from players like [Player 1’s Name] and [Player 2’s Name], propelled them to victory. As the tournament unfolds, this victory sets a positive tone for Lahore Qalandars and their fans, showcasing their determination to compete at the highest level of cricket in the PSL.