Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars (Urdu: لاہور قلندرز‎; Punjabi: لہور قلندرز; abbreviated as LQ) is a Pakistani professional cricket franchise which plays in the Pakistan Super League. The home ground of the team is Gaddafi Stadium. It nominally represents the city of Lahore in the league.[1][2] The team is owned by Qatar Lubricants Company Limited (QALCO). The team is currently captained by Sohail Akhtar. The team is coached by Aaqib Javed, a former Pakistani cricketer.[3] Lahore Qalandars is owned by Rana brothers. Lahore Qalandars was the second-most expensive franchise, and one of the few teams sold to an international company.[4] The team finished at the bottom spot in the points table in each of the first four seasons of the PSL, before making their first appearance in the final in the 2020 edition.

Lahore Qalandars
لاہور قلندرز
Nickname(s)Qalanders
Personnel
Captain Sohail Akhtar
Coach Aaqib Javed
Owner Fawad Rana
Team information
CityLahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Colors
Founded2015 (2015)
Home groundGaddafi Stadium
Capacity27,000
History
PSL wins0
Official websitelahoreqalandars.com

Home kit

Away kit

Fakhar Zaman is the leading run-scorer and Shaheen Shah Afridi is the leading wicket-taker for the side.[5][6] Afridi is also the Qalandars' brand ambassador.

Franchise history

In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would take place in February 2016 in the United Arab Emirates.[7] On 3 December 2015, the PCB unveiled the owners of five city-based franchises. The Lahore franchise was sold to the Qatar Lubricants Company for US$25.1 million for a span of ten years,[8][9] making it the second most expensive team of PSL (after the Karachi Kings, which sold for US$26 million).[7][8]

In 2016, under Players Development Program (PDP), the Lahore Qalandars franchise organised "Jazz Rising Stars" trials across eight Pakistani cities, to identify upcoming youth talent. Shortlisted players would travel to Australia and train with Sydney Thunder, while the top two performers would get the opportunity to play for the Qalandars.[10] During the programme an ambidextrous fast bowler, Yasir Jan from Rawalpindi, was identified by former Pakistan fast bowler Aqib Javed.[11]

2016 season
See also: Lahore Qalandars in 2016

After drafting star players such as Chris Gayle, Umar Akmal, Dwayne Bravo, Azhar Ali and Yasir Shah in the initial player draft, Qalandars started the tournament with two consecutive losses against Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi.[12][13][14] Their first victory came against Quetta Gladiators. The team won only two of their eight group stage matches, although they could still have qualified for the play-off section of the tournament if they had won their final group game against Islamabad United. A loss by five wickets saw Qalanders finish last in the first edition of the PSl. Despite playing only seven games, Umar Akmal was the highest run scorer of the tournament and won the 'Best Batsman' award for his 335 runs with four fifties. During the finals, Qalandars were given the "Spirit of The Game" award for showing the best sportsmanship throughout the tournament and "Fair play award".[15]

2017 season
See also: Lahore Qalandars in 2017

Lahore Qalandars icon player in first season of the PSL Chris Gayle was traded for Sohail Tanvir of the Karachi Kings during the off-season trade window.[16] Sohaib Maqsood was also traded for Aamer Yamin of Peshawar Zalmi.[17] In September 2016, the team also signed New Zealand's former captain Brendon McCullum as their new captain during the off-season.[18]

During the 2017 PSL players draft, Lahore picked a number of new players, including bowlers Yasir Shah and Sunil Narine. The team retained players such as Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali and Dwayne Bravo. Later Dwayne Bravo and Anton Devcich were replaced with Jason Roy and James Franklin while Shaun Tait was replaced with Chris Green.[19]

In their opening game of the 2017 season, Lahore Qalandars lost a closely fought match to the Quetta Gladiators. In pursuit of 137, they managed 128 before being bowled out in the penultimate over.[20] The team bounced back in the next match by beating defending champions, Islamabad United. A partnership of 71 runs between Jason Roy and Umar Akmal set up the Qalandar's chase of 159 before a quick cameo of 26(12) by Sunil Narine finished the game.[21] However, in the following game, against Peshawar Zalmi, the Qalandars collapsed to 59 all-out inside 11 overs - the second shortest innings in T20 cricket history.[22] But, Yasir Shah took 4 wickets for 7 runs in the defense to almost take his team to victory before the Zalmis prevailed by 3-wickets.[23]

As the tournament progressed to Sharjah, the Qalandars registered their second win on the trot. That too against arch-rivals, Karachi Kings. The match was hard-fought between the two sides before the Qalandars prevailed by 7 runs in the final over. Fakhar Zaman, who was also adjudged man-of-the-match, set up his team's target of 180 through his quick-fire innings of 56(36).[24] But in the next game, against Quetta Gladiators, the Qalandars were unable to defend a target of 201 despite being in control for most of the match. They allowed 78 runs to be leaked from the last 3.5 overs to end up on the losing side.[25] However, following this loss, the Qalandars managed to win against Islamabad United by 1-wicket in a tense contest that saw them chase 146 runs in 19.3 overs. Umar Akmal anchored his team's innings by scoring 66 off 42 balls before Grant Elliott finished the chase with a six over midwicket.[26]

As the tournament shifted back to Dubai, the Qalandars suffered back to back defeats against Peshawar Zalmi and arch-rivals, Karachi Kings. Against the Zalmis, the team couldn't chase down 167 after a drastic collapse from 38-1 to 43-6 and fell short by 17 runs.[27] Following this, the Qalandars lost a must-win game against the Kings by 5-wickets. After putting up a respectable target of 156 on board, the team leaked 14-runs from the final over - including sixes on the last two balls to end up on the losing side.[28] These two loses meant that the Qalandars finished at the bottom of the table after the league stage and were, in return, knocked out from the play-off proceedings for the second consecutive year.[29]

2018 season
See also: Lahore Qalandars in 2018

The Qalandars lost the first three games of the season, against Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators and, arch-rivals,[30][31] Karachi Kings respectively - suffering major batting collapses in each. In the match against the Sultans, they went from 132-4 to 136 all-out, thus falling short in their chase of 180 by 43 runs.[32] While against the Gladiators, they could not build on the excellent start they got. They were 60-2 in the fifth over but could only manage 59 runs in the remaining 15 overs to finish at 119-9. In reply, the Gladiator won by 9 wickets.[33] In the match against the Kings, Qalandars were set a hefty target of 160 runs. They got off to a great start and were 68 for 1 in 6 overs before losing several wickets in quick succession during the middle overs to end up 27 runs short.[34]

As the league stage shifted to Sharjah, the team's fortunes did not change and they lost a closely fought match to Islamabad United. In pursuit of a below-par target of 122 runs, the Qalandars were on course for an easy win at 77-2 in the 12th over, before losing wickets in quick succession to end up at 115-9. A penultimate ball six from debutant, Salman Irshad, leveled the scores before the team got all-out the next ball, instigating a Super Over. Batting first in the one-over eliminator, the Qalandars set a target of 16 runs, which the United achieved via a last-ball six.[35] The Qalanders continued with their losing streak in the next game against Peshawar Zalmi. Batting first, the Qalanders once again suffered a batting collapse and went from 56-0 to 100 all-out. In reply, the Zalmis made the target with all 10 wickets intact - the first such instance in PSL's history. This loss effectively ended Lahore's chances for a playoff berth, making them the first team to be eliminated from the second stage of the tournament.[36]

In July 2018, they were one of the six teams invited to play in the first edition of the Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy, scheduled to start in October 2018. On October 6, 2018 they won the tournament by beating Titans in the final.[37]

2019 season
See also: Lahore Qalandars in 2019

Team management picked twelve new players, during the 2019 PSL draft, including the International stars like AB De Villiers, Mohammad Hafeez, Corey Anderson, David Wiese, Sandeep Lamichhane, Haris Sohail, Brendon Taylor and Carlos Brathwaite.[38]

Originally the Qalandars were to be captained by Mohammad Hafeez, but due to an injury during team's second fixture, he had to withdraw his name from the squad. Then, AB De Villiers captained in two matches while Fakhar Zaman led the side in their remaining six matches. Like, all previous seasons, they finished at the bottom of the points table this time as well, after winning only three of their ten matches, and as a result, were eliminated in the group stage.

2020 season
See also: Lahore Qalandars in 2020

In PSL V, Lahore Qalandars reached the playoffs and the final for the first time in PSL history. Lahore Qalandars lost to Karachi Kings by five wickets in the final.[39]

Team identity

The Lahore franchise was launched on 12 December 2015 by owner Fawad Rana. The "Q" in the Qalandars was linked to both represent both Qatar and QALCO[40] and Rana added that the name was chosen to highlight the Sufi culture of Lahore – "Qalandar" is a common term used in Pakistan to describe Sufi mystics or saints whose shrines attract millions of devotees and tourists.[41] The team's logo features a Sufi performing the famous Sufi whirling with three stumps to his right and a cricket ball as the base, and is meant to represent the Sufi culture of the region[42]

The Qalandars' kit colors in first season was red and black Qalandars launched new kits ahead of second season, with the red turning green at a grand musical event. [43] Mobilink was the team's first shirt sponsor and the title sponsor.[44] Alkaram, a textile mill situated in Karachi, was announced as another sponsor[44] and the media partner of the team is Geo Tv. Royal Palm is the team's hospitality partner.

The anthem of the team in 2016 season was "Dama Dam Mast" released in two versions; one by Asrar and other by Nabeel Shaukat Ali.[45] The official song for 2017 season "Dama Dam Mast Lahore Qalandars" was sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali.[46][47] Famous Film star Shaan is team's brand ambassador for 2017 season.[48]

Year Kit manufacturer Front branding Back branding Chest branding Sleeve branding
2016 Millat Sports Jazz Al-Karam Textiles Geo News QALCO, Mobilink
2017 QALCO, Huawei, Royal Palm
2018 Ecostar Gree Bank of Punjab, ZXMCO, Royal Palm
2019 Mughal Steel QALCO, Lays
2020 Hashmi Ispaghol Mughal Steel

Rivalry
Main article: Karachi Kings–Lahore Qalandars rivalry

Qalandars have an active rivalry with Karachi Kings, [49] and is considered to be the biggest rivalry in the PSL due to their historic economic and cultural rivalry.[50] As of 2020 season both teams have played against each other 10 times, with Qalandars coming out victorious in 4 of them.[51] Both teams have a large fan following which makes their matches more intense and interesting to watch.[52] Both teams are known to be the expensive teams of PSL.[8]

Current squad
  • Players with international caps are listed in bold.
  •  *  denotes a player who is currently unavailable for selection.
  •  *  denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season
No. Name Nat. Birth date Category Batting style Bowling style Signed year Notes
Batsmen
11Sohail Akhtar (1986-03-02) 2 March 1986 SilverRight-handedRight-arm medium2018Captain
23Agha Salman (1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 SilverRight-handedRight-arm off break2021
39Fakhar Zaman (1990-04-10) 10 April 1990 DiamondLeft-handedSlow left-arm orthodox2017
92Joe Denly (1986-03-16) 16 March 1986 SupplementaryRight-handedRight-arm leg spin2021Overseas
28Tom Abell (1994-03-05) 5 March 1994 SilverRight-handedRight-arm medium2021Overseas
77Muhammad Zaid (1999-12-24) 24 December 1999 EmergingRight-handedRight-arm medium fast2021
All-rounders
8Mohammad Hafeez (1980-10-17) 17 October 1980 PlatinumRight-handedRight-arm off break2019Vice Captain
27David Wiese (1985-05-18) 18 May 1985 DiamondRight-handedRight-arm fast-medium2019Overseas
21Samit Patel (1984-11-30) 30 November 1984 GoldRight-handedSlow left-arm orthodox2020Overseas
6Muhammad Faizan (1990-04-10) 10 April 1990 SilverRight-handedRight-arm medium fast2020
Wicket-keepers
51Ben Dunk (1987-03-11) 11 March 1987 GoldLeft-handedRight-arm off break2020Overseas
60Zeeshan Ashraf (1992-05-11) 11 May 1992 SilverLeft-handedRight-armoff break2021
Bowlers
10Shaheen Afridi (2000-04-06) 6 April 2000 PlatinumLeft-handedLeft-arm fast2018
19Rashid Khan (1998-09-20) 20 September 1998 PlatinumRight-handedRight-arm leg break2021Overseas
90Dilbar Hussain (1993-02-20) 20 February 1993 GoldRight-handedRight-arm Medium fast2020
150Haris Rauf (1993-11-07) 7 November 1993 DiamondRight-handedRight-arm fast2019
55Maaz Khan (1998-09-20) 20 September 1998 EmergingRight-handedRight-arm leg break2021
22Ahmed Danyal (1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 Supplementary-Right-arm fast2021

Management and coaching staff
Chris Gayle was the icon player of Lahore Qalandars in the first season.
Brendon McCullum was the captain of Lahore Qalandars in the second season.
Name Position
Fawad Rana Owner
Sameen Rana COO & Manager
Atif Rana CEO
Aaqib Javed Head Coach
Mansoor Rana Batting coach
Shahzad Butt Fielding Coach
Moeen Nadeem Trainer
Brett Harrop Physiotherapist
Derek Sedgman Masseur

Captains
No. Nat. Player From To Mat Won Lost Tie&W Tie&L NR %
1 Azhar Ali 2016 2016 7 2 5 0 0 0 28.57
2 Dwayne Bravo 2016 2016 1 0 1 0 0 0 00.00
3 Brendon McCullum 2017 2018 18 5 11 1 1 0 33.33
4 Mohammad Hafeez 2019 2019 2 1 1 0 0 0 50.00
5 AB de Villiers 2019 2019 3 1 2 0 0 0 33.33
6 Fakhar Zaman 2019 2019 5 1 4 0 0 0 20.00
7 Sohail Akhtar 2020 Present 10 5 5 0 0 0 50.00

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 15 March 2020

Result summary

Overall result in PSL
YearPldWon Loss Tie&WTie&L NR (%) Position (G–S)Summary
2016 82600025.005/5
2017 83500037.505/5
2018 102611030.006/6
2019 103700030.006/6
2020 137600053.852/6Runners-up
Total 49173011039.60-0 PSL titles
  • Tie+W and Tie+L indicates matches tied and then won or Lost in a tiebreaker such as a bowlout or one-over-eliminator ("Super Over")
  • The result percentage excludes no results and counts ties (irrespective of a tiebreaker) as half a win.

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 15 March 2020

Head-to-head record
OppositionSpanMatWonLostTie&WTie&LNR%
Islamabad United2016–present102801020.00
Karachi Kings2016–present104610040.00
Multan Sultans2018–present63300050.00
Peshawar Zalmi2016–present102800020.00
Quetta Gladiators2016–present105500050.00
Hobart Hurricanes2018–2018110000100.00
Yorkshire Vikings2018–2018110000100.00
Titans2018–2018110000100.00
MCC2020–20201010000.00

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 14 December 2020

Statistics

Most runs
Nat. Player From To Matches Innings Runs Average HS 100 50
Fakhar Zaman 2017 2020 40 40 1064 26.60 94 0 7
Sohail Akhtar 2018 present 32 30 625 29.76 75 0 3
Umar Akmal 2016 2018 20 20 556 32.70 93 0 5
Mohammad Hafeez 2019 present 15 14 331 36.77 98 0 2
Cameron Delport 2016 2018 14 13 327 27.25 78 0 3

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 4 March 2019

Most wickets
Nat. Player From To Matches Wickets Average BBI SR 4w 5w
Shaheen Afridi 2018 present 22 28 22.60 5/4 16.8 1 1
Yasir Shah 2017 2019 23 23 25.21 4/7 21.6 1 0
Sunil Narine 2017 2018 17 20 20.55 3/28 19.8 0 0
Haris Rauf 2018 present 14 16 24.28 4/23 19.1 0 0
David Wiese 2019 Present 15 12 30.66 2/16 21.5 0 0

Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last Updated: 4 March 2020

Awards and achievements
2016 Pakistan Super League League
  • Umar Akmal declared best batsman of the Pakistan Super league 2016 with 335 runs in 7 matches
  • Lahore Qalandars received tournament's Spirit of Cricket award
  • Achieved second highest score of the tournament's first edition with 201 runs in 20 overs
2017 Pakistan Super League League
  • Achieved second highest score of the tournament's second edition with 200 runs in 20 overs
  • Participated in Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy 2018 and won trophy by beating Titans in final

See also

References

[53]

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