Pakistan’s Lahore Qalandars are a professional T20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League. They have been participating in the competition since its debut in 2015, and they also took top place in PSL 7 in 2022. They play at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore as the team representing the provincial capital of Punjab.
Rana Brothers presently control the Lahore Qalandars franchise, which is the second most costly PSL franchise behind Multan Sultans. Aaqib, who has been with the Lahore Qalandars since Season 1, is the team’s current coach. Lahore’s skipper and the youngest player to win the PSL championship is Shaheen Afridi.
The team’s best run scorer is Fakhar Zaman, and Shaheen Afridi has taken the majority of the team’s wickets.
Ownership History
The Lahore Qalandars, held by the illustrious Rana Brothers, Jawad Rana and Fawad Rana, were purchased by Kausar Rana Resources Private Limited Company for US$25.1 million. After Karachi Kings, it was the second most costly acquisition made at the time.
Team Identity and Sponsors
Fawad Rana formally opened the franchise on December 12, 2015. The Qalandars’ use of the letter “Q” was intended to refer to Qatar and QALCO. The Sufi culture of Pakistan and Lahore was represented by the name Qalandar. Sufism was also considered when creating the logo, which depicts a lovely fusion of cricket and Sufism.
| Year | Kit Makers | Shirt Sponsor (Chest) | Shirt Sponsor (Back) | 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 | |||
| 2021 | B4U Cabs | Bravo Super Market | Mughal Steel/Revolt | ||
| 2022 | Marina Sports City | Al Jalil Garden | Mughal Steel | Bank of Punjab /AirSial/ Kausar Rana Trust |
Lahore Qalandars Kit
Pakistan Super League History
PSL 1st Edition | PSL 2016
the opening season. Many top athletes, including Chris Gayle, Umar Akmal, and Dwayne Bravo, were selected by LQ. They had a rough start to the tournament with two defeats against Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings. They then defeated the Quetta Gladiators to get their maiden win. They only managed to win two of their eight group stage games, and they were eliminated for being last in the standings.
The Lahore Qalandars’ Umar Akmal, who scored 335 runs with four fifty-sevens, was the highest run scorer of the competition and was named “Best Batsman.” Along with receiving the “Fair play award,” Qalandars also received the “Spirit of The Game” award.
- Coach: Paddy Upton
- Captain: Azhar Ali
- Most Runs: Umar Akmal (335)
- Most Wickets: Zafar Gohar (7)
PSL 2nd Edition | PSL 2017
After their underwhelming performance in the first season, significant adjustments were made to the team. Sohail Tanveer of the Karachi Kings and Chris Gayle were swapped, and Sohaib Maqsood and Aamir Yamin of the Peshawar Zalmi. Brendon McCullum was also given a contract, and he was appointed team captain. The team was given a new combination and new players like Sunil Narine and Yasir Shah were chosen.
Out of a possible eight games, they won three and lost five, placing last in the standings and having another poor season’s finale.
- Coach: Paddy Upton
- Captain: Brendon McCullum
- Most Runs: Fakhar Zaman (177)
- Most Wickets: Sunil Narine (10)
PSL 3rd Edition | PSL 2018
Lahore Qalandars assembled once more and made a few adjustments to the team. They lost three of their early matches against the Multan Sultans, the Karachi Kings, and the Quetta Gladiators, but they still weren’t able to gain momentum. They only succeeded in winning three of their ten games, losing the other seven, and fell to last place on the standings with six points.
- Coach: Aaqib Javed
- Captain: Brendon McCullum
- Most Runs: Fakhar Zaman (277)
- Most Wickets: Yasir Shah (11)
PSL 4th Edition | PSL 2019
Before the commencement of the fourth season, Lahore Qalandars management made a significant shuffle of the players. To give the team a much-needed boost, 12 new players including notable names like Muhammad Hafeez, AB De Villiers, Corey Anderson, David Wiese, etc. were added. However, it was all in vain as the team was going to put up another appalling performance on the field.
They once again ended last on the standings with points, winning just three of ten games and dropping the remaining seven.
- Coach: Aaqib Javed
- Captain: Mohammad Hafeez/AB De Villiers/Fakhar Zaman
- Most Runs: Fakhar Zaman (285)
- Most Wickets: Sandeep Lamichhane (11)
PSL 5th Edition | PSL 2020
The management and supporters were furious with the players’ performance after their first four underwhelming seasons. However, LQ demonstrated some perseverance and, after finishing the group stage in third place with five victories from ten games, earned a spot in the play-offs this time.
They advanced to the championship game in the Play-offs by defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the first elimination round and Multan Sultans in the second. They finished the competition as runners-up after losing to their bitter rivals Karachi Kings in the championship match by five wickets.
- Coach: Aaqib Javed
- Captain: Sohail Akhtar
- Most Runs: Chris Lynn (284)
- Most Wickets: Shaheen Afridi (13)
PSL 6th Edition | PSL 2021
Lahore Qalandars had a strong start in the sixth season of the Pakistan Super League, winning their first four games in a row, but the COVID-19 situation in Pakistan caused the PSL to be postponed and resumed in June 2021. LQ’s sabbatical backfired, as they only managed to win one of the final six games and were ousted from the competition. On the points chart, they came in at position five.
- Coach: Aaqib Javed
- Captain: Sohail Akhtar
- Most Runs: Fakhar Zaman (287)
- Most Wickets: Shaheen Afridi (16)
PSL 7th Edition | PSL 2022
Lahore Qalandars’ season was this one since they were ready to win the championship for the first time. They launched their offensive against the Multan Sultans, which they were defeated in. They defeated Peshawar Zalmi in their ensuing game by a score of 29 runs. With 6 wins and 4 losses in a total of 10 matches, they placed second on the points table and qualified for the playoffs.
They fell to Multan Sultans in the preliminary match, but defeated Islamabad United in the semifinal to advance. They had to play Multan Sultans again in the championship game, but this time they defeated them by 42 runs to win the PSL trophy for the first time.
- Coach: Aaqib Javed
- Captain: Shaheen Afridi
- Most Runs: Fakhar Zaman (588)
- Most Wickets: Shaheen Afridi (20)
Q. Who is the Captain of Lahore Qalandars?
Ans: Shaheen Shah Afridi is the captain of Lahore Qalandars in PSL 8 2023.
Lahore Qalandars Players 2023
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Rashid Khan / Sam Billings
- Fakhar Zaman
- Haris Rauf
- David Wiese
- Hussain Talat
- Abdullah Shafique
- Sikandar Raza
- Liam Dawson
- Harry Brook / Shane Dadswell
- Dilbar Hussain
- Mirza Tahir Baig
- Ahmed Daniyal
- Zaman Khan
- Shawaiz Irfan
Lahore Qalandars has Selected 2 Players in supplementary category.
- Jordan Cox / Kusal Mandis
- Jalat Khan
Karachi Kings Players Statistics
Most Runs
| Player | From | To | Matches | Innings | Runs | Avg. | HS | 100 | 50 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 2017 | 2023 | 62 | 62 | 1936 | 31.73 | 106 | 1 | 16 |
| Sohail Akhtar | 2018 | 2023 | 42 | 40 | 774 | 24.96 | 75 | 0 | 3 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | 2019 | 2023 | 28 | 27 | 679 | 33.78 | 98* | 0 | 4 |
| Umar Akmal | 2016 | 2018 | 20 | 20 | 556 | 32.70 | 93 | 0 | 5 |
| Ben Dunk | 2020 | 2023 | 23 | 20 | 472 | 27.76 | 99* | 0 | 3 |
Most Wickets
| Player | From | To | Matches | Wickets | Avg. | BBI | SR | 4w | 5w |
| Shaheen Afridi | 2018 | 2023 | 43 | 61 | 20.40 | 5/4 | 15.9 | 1 | 1 |
| Haris Rauf | 2018 | 2023 | 32 | 37 | 28.97 | 4/7 | 19.4 | 1 | 0 |
| Yasir Shah | 2017 | 2019 | 23 | 23 | 25.21 | 4/7 | 21.6 | 1 | 0 |
| David Wiese | 2019 | 2023 | 24 | 21 | 29.61 | 3/27 | 20.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunil Narine | 2017 | 2018 | 17 | 20 | 20.55 | 3/28 | 19.8 | 0 | 0 |
Lahore Qalandars Result Record
Overall
| Year | P | Won | Loss | T&W | T&L | NR | (Win%) | Position | Summary |
| 2016 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 | 5/5 | League Stage |
| 2017 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 | 5/5 | League Stage |
| 2018 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30.00 | 6/6 | League Stage |
| 2019 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.00 | 6/6 | League Stage |
| 2020 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.85 | 2/6 | Runners-up |
| 2021 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.00 | 5/6 | League Stage |
| 2022 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 65.39 | 2/6 | Champions |
| Total | 72 | 30 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43.75 | – | 1 Time Champion |
Head-to-Head
| Opposition | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | T&W | T&L | NR | Win % |
| Islamabad United | 2016–2023 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44.33 |
| Karachi Kings | 2016–2023 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36.66 |
| Multan Sultans | 2018–2023 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Peshawar Zalmi | 2016–2023 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43.33 |
| Quetta Gladiators | 2016–2023 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
Management/Coaching Staff and Captains
| Name | Position |
| Sameen Rana | COO & Manager |
| Atif Rana | CEO |
| Aaqib Javed | Director of Cricket Operations & Head Coach |
| Mansoor Rana | Batting coach |
| Ben Dunk | Power-hitting coach |
| Waqas Ahmed | Bowling Coach |
| Shehzad Butt | Fielding Coach |
| Moeen Nadeem | Trainer |
| Brett Harrop | Physio |
| Malang Ali | Masseur |
Captains
| No. | Player | From | To | Mat | Won | Lost | T+W | T+L | NR | Win(%) |
| 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 | 2021 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.17 |
| 8 | Shaheen Afridi | 2022 | Present | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62.50 |