Lahore Qalandars

 ( Lahoreqalandars.com Official Website ) 

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. During the programme an ambidextrous fast bowler, Yasir Jan from Rawalpindi, was identified by former Pakistan fast bowler Aqib Javed.

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.

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. 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. 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. But, Yasir Shah took four wickets for seven runs in the defense to almost take his team to victory before the Zalmis prevailed by 3-wickets.

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). 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. 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.

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 could not chase down 167 after a drastic collapse from 38–1 to 43-6 and fell short by 17 runs. 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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

By doing superbly in the 2022 Lahore Qalandars became the first team in HBL PSL history to defend their title. They won back to back titles with skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi leading them from front and Fakhar Zaman being the top scorer claiming Hanif Muhammad Cap.
     

The Lahore Qalandars entered the 2023 Pakistan Super League as defending champions under the leadership of captain Shaheen Afridi. Retaining much of their title-winning core from 2022, including key players like Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Rashid Khan, the Qalandars aimed to become the first team to successfully defend a PSL title.

They had a strong league campaign, finishing at the top of the table with 7 wins in 10 matches. Notable victories included a record 110-run win over Islamabad United and a thrilling last-ball finish against Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Stadium.

In the playoffs, Lahore lost the Qualifier to Multan but bounced back with a win over Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2. The final, held in Lahore, saw a rematch with Multan Sultans. Batting first, Lahore posted 200 runs, with Shaheen Afridi scoring an unbeaten 44 off 15 balls. He then starred with the ball, taking 4 wickets. The match came down to the final delivery, where Zaman Khan held his nerve to secure a 1-run victory — the narrowest margin in PSL final history.

With the win, Lahore Qalandars became the first team to win back-to-back PSL titles, solidifying their place among the most successful franchises in the league’s history.

Original Article

[https://askqalandars.com/qalandars-special/match-summary/psl-8-2023-summary/ Lahore Qalandars – PSL 8 (2023) Summary: A Legacy Written in Fire - Ask Qalandars]
     

Despite retaining a strong core—including Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and David Wiese—the team struggled throughout the tournament. The absence of key spinner Rashid Khan due to injury severely impacted their bowling in the middle overs. Fielding errors, inconsistent performances from senior players, and a lack of bench strength further contributed to their downfall.

Their lone victory was overshadowed by narrow defeats and missed opportunities, with notable losses against Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators, and Karachi Kings. Lahore’s campaign ended with just a single win, marking a dramatic fall from back-to-back champions to wooden spoon holders.

'''[https://askqalandars.com/qalandars-special/match-summary/psl-9-summary/ Lahore Qalandars PSL 2024 Campaign Summary: A Season to Forget - Ask Qalandars]'''
     

Since 2019, Shaheen Afridi has been the brand ambassador.