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Lahore Qalandars
Pakistani cricket franchise From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lahore Qalandars[a] is a Pakistani professional cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League, representing the city of Lahore, the capital of Punjab.[3] The team plays its home matches at Gaddafi Stadium and is owned by the Rana brothers.[4]
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (August 2025) |
Formed in 2015, Lahore Qalandars was the second-most expensive franchise sold during the inaugural PSL team auction and one of the few purchased by an international group. The team struggled in its early seasons, finishing at the bottom of the table five times, but later emerged as one of the league's most successful sides, winning titles in 2022, 2023, and 2025.[5]
The team is currently captained by Shaheen Afridi and coached by Russell Domingo.[6] Fakhar Zaman is the team’s leading run-scorer, while Shaheen Afridi is the leading wicket-taker.[7][8]
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Franchise history
In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would be held in February 2016 in the United Arab Emirates.[9] On 3 December 2015, the PCB revealed the owners of the five city-based franchises. The Lahore franchise was purchased by Kausar Rana Resources Private Limited for US$25.1 million over a ten-year period,[10][11] making it the second-most expensive team after the Karachi Kings, which sold for US$26 million. Following the introduction of the Multan Sultans in 2018, sold for approximately US$41.6 million, Lahore Qalandars became the third most expensive PSL franchise.[9][10][12]
In 2016, under the Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program (PDP), the franchise launched the "Jazz Rising Stars" talent hunt across eight Pakistani cities to identify emerging cricketers. Selected players were sent to Australia to train with the Sydney Thunder, while the top two performers were awarded the opportunity to play for the Qalandars.[13] During the program, an ambidextrous fast bowler, Yasir Jan, was discovered by former Pakistan pacer Aqib Javed.[14]
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Performance in PSL
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2016 season
In the inaugural Pakistan Super League season, Lahore Qalandars drafted notable players including Chris Gayle, Umar Akmal, Dwayne Bravo, Azhar Ali, and Yasir Shah.[15] The team struggled for consistency, winning only two of their eight group matches, and finished last in the standings. Despite this, Umar Akmal emerged as the tournament's top run-scorer with 335 runs in seven innings, earning the "Best Batsman" award.[16] Lahore Qalandars also received the “Spirit of the Game” and “Fair Play” awards for their sportsmanship during the tournament.
2017 season
Ahead of the 2017 season, Lahore Qalandars traded Chris Gayle to Karachi Kings for Sohail Tanvir and swapped Sohaib Maqsood for Aamer Yamin from Peshawar Zalmi.[17] The franchise appointed former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as team captain for the new season.[18]
Lahore's campaign was inconsistent, highlighted by wins against defending champions Islamabad United and rivals Karachi Kings, but also marred by collapses such as being bowled out for 59 against Peshawar Zalmi.[19][20] They finished the group stage at the bottom of the points table for a second consecutive year, failing to qualify for the playoffs.[21]
2018 season
Lahore Qalandars began the 2018 Pakistan Super League season with three consecutive defeats against Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators, and Karachi Kings, suffering repeated batting collapses in each game.[22][23][24]
Their fortunes did not improve in Sharjah, where they lost a Super Over thriller against Islamabad United after tying the match on the final ball.[25] A ten-wicket loss to Peshawar Zalmi, the first such result in PSL history, confirmed their early elimination from playoff contention.[26]
Later in 2018, the Qalandars represented the PSL in the inaugural Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy, where they defeated Titans in the final to win the tournament.[27]
2019 season
Ahead of the 2019 PSL season, Lahore Qalandars overhauled their squad, drafting several international stars including AB de Villiers, Mohammad Hafeez, Corey Anderson, David Wiese, Sandeep Lamichhane, Brendan Taylor, and Carlos Brathwaite.[28][29]
The team began under the captaincy of Mohammad Hafeez, who was later ruled out due to a fractured thumb sustained during their second match.[30] Leadership subsequently rotated between AB de Villiers and Fakhar Zaman. Despite flashes of promise, including standout performances by Wiese and Lamichhane, Lahore Qalandars again finished last in the standings, winning only three of their ten matches and failed to qualify for the playoffs.[31]
2020 season
In the 2020 PSL, Lahore Qalandars reached the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's history, having finished at the bottom of the table in all previous editions. The team ended the league stage in fourth place, securing a playoff berth for the first time.[32]
In the playoffs, Lahore defeated Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets in the Eliminator 1, with David Wiese playing a key finishing role.[33] They then beat Multan Sultans in Eliminator 2 to advance to their maiden final.[34] In the final, played against Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars were restricted to 134/7 in their 20 overs, with Karachi chasing down the target by five wickets. Babar Azam’s unbeaten 63 guided Karachi Kings to their maiden PSL title.[35]
2021 season
Lahore Qalandars began the 2021 PSL strongly with consecutive wins over Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.[36][37] The league was later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in Abu Dhabi in June.[38] Lahore added James Faulkner and Tim David to their squad and briefly topped the table before losing their final four matches. They finished fifth with five wins and five losses, missing out on the playoffs.[39]
2022 season
Lahore Qalandars began their 2022 PSL campaign with a narrow loss to Multan Sultans despite scoring over 200 runs.[40] They rebounded with wins over Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, driven by consistent batting performances from Fakhar Zaman and strong death bowling from Zaman Khan.[41][42] They finished second in the league stage and advanced to the playoffs, defeating Islamabad United in the Eliminator 2 to reach their second PSL final.[43] In the final, they beat Multan Sultans by 42 runs to win their maiden PSL title, with Mohammad Hafeez starring with both bat and ball.[44]
2023 season
Entering the 2023 PSL as defending champions under Shaheen Afridi's captaincy, Lahore Qalandars retained most of their core squad from 2022, including Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Rashid Khan.[45] They topped the league stage with seven wins in ten matches, registering notable victories such as a record 110-run win over Islamabad United and a last-ball triumph against Multan Sultans.[46][47]
After losing the Qualifier to Multan Sultans, Lahore bounced back with a win over Peshawar Zalmi in Eliminator 2 to reach their second consecutive final.[48] In the final, they defeated Multan Sultans by one run, the narrowest margin in PSL final history, with Shaheen Afridi starring for his 44* (15) and 4 wickets, while Zaman Khan defended 12 runs in the last over.[49]
With the win, Lahore became the first franchise in PSL history to defend their title successfully, while Fakhar Zaman finished as the team's top run-scorer, earning the Hanif Mohammad Cap for the second consecutive season.[50]
2024 season
Lahore Qalandars entered the 2024 Pakistan Super League as defending champions under Shaheen Shah Afridi, aiming for a third consecutive title. However, the season proved to be their worst in PSL history, as they won only one of ten matches and finished last with three points.
Despite retaining key players like Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and David Wiese, the team struggled in all departments. The absence of Rashid Khan due to injury weakened their bowling attack, while fielding lapses and inconsistent performances led to several narrow defeats, including losses against Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators, and Karachi Kings.
2025 season
Lahore Qalandars won their third Pakistan Super League title in four years (2022, 2023, 2025), equalling Islamabad United as the most successful team in the competition's history.[51] The team had a mixed start to the season, losing their opening match to Islamabad United before recording comprehensive victories over Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings. Despite the unavailability of overseas players such as Daryl Mitchell and Sam Billings, Lahore finished the league stage in the top four, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, and Abdullah Shafique. In the playoffs, they defeated Karachi in the Eliminator and Islamabad in Qualifier 2 to reach the final. On 25 May 2025 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore chased down 202 runs to beat Quetta Gladiators by six wickets, with Kusal Perera scoring an unbeaten 62 and Afridi taking three wickets.[52] The win marked a strong recovery following their bottom-place finish in the previous season.
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Team identity
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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[53] 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.[54] 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[55] The Qalandars' kit colors in the first season were red and black. Ahead of the second season, Qalandars launched new kits, with the red being changed to green. [56]
Ambassadors
Famous Film star Shaan was the team's brand ambassador from 2016 to the 2018 season.[57]
Since 2019, Shaheen Afridi has been the brand ambassador.
Anthems
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.[58] The official song for 2017 season "Dama Dam Mast Lahore Qalandars" was sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali.[59][60]
Sponsors
Mobilink was the team's first shirt sponsor and the title sponsor.[61] Alkaram, a textile mill situated in Karachi, was announced as another sponsor[61] and the media partner of the team is Geo TV. Royal Palm is the team's hospitality partner.
Rivalry
Qalandars have an active rivalry with Karachi Kings,[62] and is considered to be the biggest rivalry in the PSL due to their historic economic and cultural rivalry.[63] As of 2021 season, both teams have played against each other 14 times, with Qalandars coming out victorious in 6 of them.[64] Both teams have a large fan following which makes their matches more intense and interesting to watch.[65] Both teams are known to be the most expensive teams of PSL.[10]
They have a budding provincial rivalry with the second team from Punjab, Multan Sultans. The matches between the two are known as 'The Punjab Derby'.[66]
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Current squad
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Management and coaching staff
Simon Paul – Sports Massage Therapist
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Captains
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 12 March 2024
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Result summary
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Overall result in PSL
- 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: 12 March 2024
Head-to-head record
Pakistan Super League
Non-PSL teams
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 10 January 2025
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Statistics
- As of 12 March 2024
Most runs
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Most wickets
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
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References
External links
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