Rizwan wary of PSL opponents' ‘firepower’ as Peshawar takes on Multan tomorrow 

KARACHI: Mohammad Rizwan, captain of the unbeaten Multan Sultans franchise in this year’s HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), said on Wednesday he was excited to play the "Multan Sultan brand of cricket" in Lahore but credited all opponents with having the "firepower" to catch the team off guard.  
After an enthralling 15-match Karachi leg of the tournament, the HBL PSL7 series will move to Lahore on Thursday where the last 19 matches of the season will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, the headquarters of Pakistan cricket. 
"We know that all our opponents have enough firepower in their ranks to catch us off guard any day of the tournament," Rizwan said. “We are very excited to play the Multan Sultans’ brand of cricket in Lahore and entertain the fans there who would be seeing HBL PSL action at their own venue for the first time in nearly two years.”
All six teams remain in the race to secure the top four play-off slots.
Former champions Karachi Kings, who lost all five matches on home ground at the National Stadium, Karachi, are still in the race and can claw their way back into the competition if they undergo a change of fortunes in Lahore, a PCB handout said.
“It has been a really tough start for us and we are left with no option but to win all our remaining five matches,’ Babar Azam, captain of Karachi Kings, said, adding that he was confident the whole team would be upbeat and ready to make a turnaround when they met Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday.  
At the end of the Karachi leg, Multan Sultans, the defending champions led by Rizwan, are sitting pretty at the top of the points table with 10 points courtesy of their unbeaten run in the tournament so far.  
The 2016 and 2018 champions, Islamabad United, led by their in-form captain Shadab Khan, occupy the second spot with six points. Lahore Qalandars, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, also have the same points tally but their inferior run rate compared to United has put them in the third spot.  
Quetta Gladiators, the 2019 champions led by Sarfaraz Ahmed, are at the number four position with four points. The Wahab Riaz-led Peshawar Zalmi, who won the title in 2017, occupy the fifth spot with as many points as the Gladiators. However, their inferior run rate compared to Zalmi mean they are placed at number five. 
Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz said the Karachi leg didn’t go as planned as his side was not able to play to the best of its ability.  
“Peshawar Zalmi has always fought its way through in the HBL PSL and as always we have enough depth, class and experience in our squad for a turnaround in the Lahore-leg,” he said, adding that his aim in Lahore would be to register victories and ensure qualification in the play-offs.  
“The Lahore leg promises to be even more exciting with maximum attendance expected at the Gaddafi Stadium for the business end of the tournament and I am sure that the fans in Lahore will be as entertained as the Karachi fans were with some world-class performers from all six sides on show,” Shadab Khan, captain of Islamabad United said.  
Quetta Gladiators skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed said his side’s sensational victory against Lahore Qalandars had given the team renewed hope.
“We are really looking forward to the Lahore leg," he said, "and I am sure the cricket fans in Lahore are super excited to see us and the other teams in action from Thursday."