The race for the playoffs is heating up brilliantly in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023. With a handful of group-stage matches left, almost every game is crucial as the teams aim to make it past the league stage and into the knockouts. Defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United placed first and second on the PSL 2023 points table, have qualified for the playoffs with three games remaining. While Lahore have 12 points, Islamabad have two points less. Third-placed Multan Sultans, who have eight points, need one win out of three games to ensure their playoff spot. But they will ideally want to finish in the top two spots, where the winner of the qualifier directly makes it to the final and the losing side gets a second shot. The third and fourth-placed teams will compete in the first eliminator. The winner of the first eliminator will then meet the losing side of the qualifier to determine the second finalist. PSL 2023 Points Table Updated

Peshawar Zalmi, placed fourth, have four remaining matches and can qualify for the playoffs with two more wins, giving them 10 points. Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators are two teams which are on the brink of elimination. Both sides have had disappointing campaigns and are placed in the fifth and sixth spots on the points table. Quetta Gladiators have two games left, while Karachi have one in hand. And apart from winning these, they also need luck to favour them with respect to the outcomes of the remaining games.

For Karachi Kings to qualify-

  • They need to win their last match against Lahore Qalandars, preferably by a solid margin, to have a better net run rate.

  • Hope for Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi to lose their remaining matches.

For Quetta Gladiators to qualify-

  • They must beat Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans to get to eight points.

  • Along with winning, they will hope that Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans lose their remaining games.

  • If Peshawar Zalmi win one more and lose their remaining two, they will have eight points, the same as Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans if the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side win both remaining matches and Mohammad Rizwan's team fails to win any one of their remaining three contests.

The situation would be interesting and all will boil down to the net run rate if Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators all end up with six points each.

Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi are frontrunners to make it to the playoffs alongside Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United. However, nothing can be predicted in a game of cricket, and the season's final few games prove to be an absolute must-watch with so much on the line.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 07, 2023 05:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).