Lahore Qalandars: PSL 8 Preview, Fixtures and Probable Squad
The tournament will start on February 13
By Mustansir Ali on February 6, 2023
Shaheen Afridi will lead Lahore Qalandars — PCB
After a long title drought in the first six seasons of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Qalandars managed to win the prestigious trophy in its seventh edition.
The Qalandars, led by Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, beat 2021 champions Multan Sultans by 42 runs in Lahore to win the trophy.
However, the road to success was not an easy one for the Qalandars as the franchise, always a formidable opponent on paper, could not deliver results in line with expectations in PSL 8.
The fan-favourite team came so close to winning silverware in 2020, but Karachi Kings took it away from them after beating them by five wickets at the then National Stadium Karachi – now the National Bank Cricket Arena.
Still, the Qalandars didn't give up on their love for the game and their hard work paid off in PSL 2022, defeating the 2021 champions, Multan Sultans, to win the tournament.
Strengths
As the famous saying goes, "batsmen win matches but bowlers win tournaments", the Qalandars' success in the previous season was largely due to their bowling supported by Fakhar Zaman's exceptional batting at the top of the order.
Likewise, bowling is the strength of the franchise as their two pacers – Shaheen and Haris Rauf – can always be a threat to the opposition at any stage of the game.
Shaheen's prowess with the new ball and Rauf's pace and variation in the death overs can topple any team's batting line-up.
The fiery and fast bowling is fueled by the trickery and magic of Rashid Khan, who recently completed 500 T20 wickets at the age of just 24.
The Afghan spinner has the best economy rate – 5.88 runs – in the league.
Meanwhile, the Qalandars have added another all-rounder in Sikandar Raza to their squad. The Zimbabwean all-rounder amassed 219 runs and took 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 where he duly announced himself to the world.
Weaknesses
Firepower in the middle order, which the defending champions will miss in the upcoming season. England middle-order batsman Harry Brook, who scored 264 runs for Qalandars in PSL 7, will miss the upcoming season.
Brook's absence will definitely have a massive impact on the Qalandars' batting performance considering his record in the previous season.
Moreover, there is no experienced batsman in the team like Mohammad Hafeez who was not picked by the franchise in the draft.
Hafeez was an integral part of the Qalandars' triumph in the PSL last season as he was the team's second and seventh highest run-scorer in the tournament, smashing 323 runs.
Final positions in previous seasons
As mentioned earlier, a great and formidable team on paper, the Qalandars failed to really take off and perform to the caliber and reputation of their team as they finished last in the league in their first four seasons.
However, in PSL 2020, the franchise had an opportunity to taste victory but lost to Karachi Kings in the final.
Their best performance in PSL 2021 sank as the runners-up in PSL 2020 finished fifth in the table.
Despite several heartbreaks, the Lahore Qalandars' hard work paid off as they clinched their maiden PSL title after defeating Mohammad Rizwan-led Multan Sultans in the final of the tournament last year.
Lahore Qalandars team
Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Shane Dadswell, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Shawaiz Irfan, Jordan Cox, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings (part-replacement for Rashid Khan) and Kusal Mendis (part-replacement for Jordan Cox)
Luminaires
February 13: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans
February 19: Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars
February 21: Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars
February 26: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi
February 27: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United
March 2: Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators
March 4: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans
March 7: Peshawar Zalmi Vs. Lahore Qalandars
March 9: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars
March 12: Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings
Likely lineup
Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, Sam Billings (wk), Rashid Khan, David Wiese, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Zaman Khan
It should be noted that as per the criteria, the playing XI must include a minimum of two and a maximum of four foreign players and one new category player.
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