Lahore Qalandars Cricket Team Guide
The Lahore Qalandars are one of the franchise cricket teams that participates in the Pakistan Super League. The team hails from Lahore in the state of Punjab in the north east of the country, with the city bordering India.
Lahore Qalandars Cricket Team Background
Founded after the Pakistan Super League was announced back in 2015, Lahore Qalandars represent the capital of the Punjab province. The team was initially the second most expensive franchise, being purchased for $25.1 million. The team is renowned for unveiling youth talent that is upcoming in the country thanks to their “Rising Stars” programme.
Where Do Lahore Qalandars Play?
The home ground of Lahore Qalandars is the 27,000 capacity Gaddafi Stadium which was built back in 2019. This actually held the record for the highest attendance during the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup when it hosted the final of the competition.
Lahore Qalandars Players
The Lahore Qalandars have had a number of big name players hailing from their home nation, with players such as Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf all taking to the field for the franchise as well as the Pakistan national cricket team.
It is not just Pakistani nationals who have been notable names for the Lahore Qalandars either, with Namibia cricket team star David Wiese, Australia’s James Faulkner, England’s Samit Patel and Sunil Narine of the West Indies cricket team all playing in the PSL for the Lahore side.
Memorable Games For The Lahore Qalandars Cricket Team
The first years of the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL certainly didn’t look promising for the side, with them finishing last place in the first 4 outings in the competition. In 2020 though, they would go on to make it to a final, however, would fall short at the final hurdle. The team managed to one up this though in 2022, finishing second in the points table after winning 6 of their 10 games.
Advancing to a qualifier, they would face off against the Mulatan Sultans, in which they played at their home ground. Winning the toss, they chose to field first, however, struggled to take wickets as the opposition ended their innings just conceding 2 and scoring 163 runs. In response, the Qalandars only managed 135/9, struggling to match the impressive batting of the Sultans.
They would subsequently be knocked down to an eliminator match where they would once again play at home, this time against Islamabad United. After uninspiring bowling performances in their prior match, the Lahore Qalandars would instead choose to bat first after winning the toss. Abdullah Shafique managed to score 52 runs from just 28 balls, putting up a respectable 168/7 by the end of their 20 overs. Their opposition from the capital kept pace throughout their stint at the crease, however, fell short by just 6 runs, seeing the Lahore team progress to the finals.
In the final, a rematch of their qualifier match against the Multan Sultans would take place. However, upon stepping up the crease, the fortunes were completely different this time around. Mohammad Hafeez managed 69 runs, a match high as the Lahore Qalandars finished their 20 overs on a run total of 180. In response, the Sultans struggled, losing key players early on, with 3 wickets being claimed by Shaheen Afridi alone. In turn, the Lahore Qalandars won the match by 42 runs, securing their first ever PSL title.
The following year, the Lahore Qalandars made history in the PSL, becoming the first ever team to defend their title after narrowly defeating the Multan Sultans by just 1 run to secure back to back championships.
Rivals Of The Lahore Qalandars Cricket Team
Within the PSL, there is arguably one rivalry that stands out from all others, that being the one between the Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings. With pre-established cultural and historical rivalries already existing between the two cities, compounded thanks to the large followings both sides have, this fixture is one that is looked forward to by fans each season.
