Lahore Qalandars is a professional T20 cricket team established by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in next 5th February 2016 against Karachi Kings at Dubai International Cricket Stadium of their first match in this tournament. In Punjab province, Lahore is a capital city and second largest metropolitan area in Pakistan. Let’s see what does QALANDARS stands for. Qalandar is an honorific title which was given to a saint. They are different from the other saint. They have very strong feeling about God’s creation. They are those person who enjoys freedom from ties. Qalandars spread the message of love and humanity. The franchise owner of this team Fawad Rana revealed this name and said that this was chosen to highlight Sufi culture of Lahore. Fawad Rana’s QALCO (Qatar Lubricants Company) owned this team in exchange for 24 million USD. The Lahore Qalandars squad is the second most expensive team in Pakistan Super League after Karachi Kings.
The team squad of Lahore Qalandars is listed below.
Team Squad of Lahore Qalandars:
Local Players:
- Azhar Ali (Captain)- Batsman (Right handed batsman)
- Mukhtar Ahmed- Batsman (Right handed batsman)
- Sohaib Maqsood- Batsman (Right handed batsman)
- Naved Yasin- Batsman (Left handed batsman)
- Imran Butt- Batsman (Right handed batsman)
- Abdul Razzaq- All-rounder (Right handed batsman & Right arm fast medium bowler)
- Hammad Azam- All-rounder (Right handed batsman & Right arm medium fast bowler)
- Zohaib Khan- All-rounder (Right handed batsman & Slow left arm orthodox)
- Mohammad Rizwan- Wicket-keeper (Right handed batsman)
- Umar Akmal- Wicket-keeper (Right handed batsman)
- Yasir Shah- Bowler (Right arm legbreak,Googly)
- Zafar Gohar- Bowler (Slow left arm orthodox)
- Zial-ul-Haq- Bowler (Left arm fast medium)
- Adnan Rasool- Bowler (Right arm offbreak)
- Ehsan Adil- Bowler (Right arm fast medium)
Foreign Players:
- Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)- Bowler (Left arm fast medium)
- Chris Gayle (West Indies)- Batsman (Left handed batsman)
- Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)- All-rounder (Right handed batsman & Right arm medium fast bowler)
- Kevon Cooper(West Indies)- All-rounder (Right handed batsman & Right arm medium fast bowler)
- Cameron Delport (South Africa)- Batsman (Left handed batsman)
Management and Coaching Staff:
- Paddy Upton (South Africa)- Head Coach
- Ijaz Ahmed (Pakistan)- Batting Coach
- Shahid Aslam (Pakistan)- Assistant Coach
- Fawad Rana (QALCO)- Owner
Yes obviously, Lahore Qalandars have some good cricketers. Azhar Ali, Mukhtar Ahmed, Sohaib Maqsood are all good performing batsman. They did well enough according to their previous statistics. Umar Akmal is also a destroying batsman. On the other hand they have five overseas players named cutter master Mustafizur Rahman who has some fearsome bowling spell that could be tremendous for the opponent. They also have a horrible batsman like Chris Gayle who is a big shot. In his day he would be one enough to win any match. They have experienced all-rounder named Abdul Razzaq and googly bowler Yasir Shah too. They should be in the best XI. Let’s see the possibly best eleven listed below.
Possibly Best XI:
- Azhar Ali (Captain)
- Umar Akmal (Wicket-keeper)
- Cameron Delport
- Chris Gayle
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Dwayne Bravo
- Kevon Cooper
- Abdul Razzaq
- Yasir Shah
- Sohaib Maqsood
- Mukhtar Ahmed
Lahore Qalandars Match Schedule in PSL:
| Date | Match Between | Time |
| 05.02.16 | Vs Karachi Kings | 16:00:00 |
| 06.02.16 | Vs Peshawar Zalmi | 20:00:00 |
| 08.02.16 | Vs Quetta Gladiators | 20:00:00 |
| 10.02.16 | Vs Islamabad United | 20:00:00 |
| 12.02.16 | Vs Karachi Kings | 16:00:00 |
| 13.02.16 | Vs Peshawar Zalmi | 20:00:00 |
| 16.02.16 | Vs Quetta Gladiators | 20:00:00 |
| 17.02.16 | Vs Islamabad United | 20:00:00 |
Reviewing the team squad of Lahore Qalandars, they have possibly strength to win this title for the first time. So, time will say what will happen next. Let’s wait and watch.
