Lahore Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars
لاہور قلندرز ‬
Nickname(s) Dama Dam Mast
Personnel
Captain New Zealand Brendon McCullum
Coach Pakistan Aqib Javed
Owner Fawad Rana (Qatar Lubricants Company Ltd)
Team information
City Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Colors
Founded 2015 (2015)
Home ground Gaddafi Stadium
Capacity 27,000
History
PSL wins 0
Official website: lahoreqalandars.com

T20I kit

Lahore Qalandars (Urdu: لاہور قلندرز‬‎; Punjabi: لہور قلندرز; acronym LQ) is a Pakistani professional cricket franchise which plays in the Pakistan Super League. The home ground of the team is Gaddafi Stadium. It nominally represents the city of Lahore in the league.[1][2] The team is owned by Qatar Lubricants Company Limited (QALCO). The team is currently captained by Brendon McCullum and coached by Aqib Javed, a former Pakistani cricketer. Fakhar Zaman is the team's vice-captain.[3] Lahore Qalandars was the second most expensive franchise and was one of the few teams sold to an international company.[4] Fawad Rana is the owner of the team.

Umar Akmal is the leading run-scorer and Sunil Narine is the leading wicket-taker for the side.[5][6]

Franchise history

In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would take place in February 2016 in the United Arab Emirates.[7] On 3 December 2015, the PCB unveiled the owners of five city-based franchises. The Lahore franchise was sold to the Qatar Lubricants Company for US$24 Million for a span of ten years,[8][9] making it the second most expensive team of PSL (after the Karachi Kings, which sold for US$26 million).[7][8]

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.[10] During the programme an ambidextrous fast bowler, Yasir Jan from Rawalpindi, was identified by former Pakistan fast bowler Aqib Javed.[11]

2016 season

Umar Akmal finished as the leading run-scorer in 2016 season with 335 runs in seven matches.

After drafting star players such as Chris Gayle, Umar Akmal, Dwayne Bravo, Azhar Ali and Yasir Shah in the initial player draft, Qalandars started the tournament with two consecutive losses against Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi.[12][13][14] Their first victory came against Quetta Gladiators. The team won only two of their eight group stage matches, although they could still have qualified for the play-off section of the tournament if they had won their final group game against Islamabad United. A loss by five wickets saw Qalanders finish last in the first edition of the. Despite playing only seven games, Umar Akmal was the highest run scorer of the tournament and won the 'Best Batsman' award for his 335 runs with four fifties. During the finals, Qalandars were given the "Spirit of The Game" award for showing the best sportsmanship throughout the tournament and "Fair play award".[15]

2017 season

Lahore Qalandars icon player in first season of the PSL Chris Gayle was traded for Sohail Tanvir of the Karachi Kings during the off-season trade window.[16]Sohaib Maqsood was also traded for Aamer Yamin of Peshawar Zalmi.[17] In September 2016, the team also signed New Zealand's former captain Brendon McCullum as their new captain during the off-season.[18]

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. [19]

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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] But, Yasir Shah took 4 wickets for 7 runs in the defense to almost take his team to victory before the Zalmis prevailed by 3-wickets.[23]

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).[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]

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 couldn't chase down 167 after a drastic collapse from 38-1 to 43-6 and fell short by 17 runs.[27] 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.[28] 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.[29]

2018 season

The Qalandars lost the first three games of the season, against Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators and, arch-rivals[30][31], Karachi Kings respectively - suffering major batting collapses in each. In the match against the Sultans, they went from 132-4 to 136 all-out, thus falling short in their chase of 180 by 43 runs.[32] While against the Gladiators, they could not build on the excellent start they got. They were 60-2 in the fifth over but could only manage 59 runs in the remaining 15 overs to finish at 119-9. In reply, the Gladiator won by 9 wickets.[33] In the match against the Kings, Qalandars were set a hefty target of 160 runs. They got off to a great start and were 68 for 1 in 6 overs before losing several wickets in quick succession during the middle overs to end up 27 runs short.[34]

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.[35] 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.[36]

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. In October 6 2018 they won the tournament by beating Titans in the final. [37]

Team identity

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[38] 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.[39] 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[40]

The Qalandars' kit colors in first season was red and black Qalandars launched new kits ahead of second season,with the red turning green at grand musical event. [41] Mobilink was the team's first shirt sponsor and the title sponsor.[42] Alkaram, a Textile Mill situated in Karachi, was announced as another sponsor[42] and the media partner of the team is Geo Tv. Royal Palm is team's hospitality partner.

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.[43] The official song for 2017 season "Dama Dam Mast Lahore Qalandars" was sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali.[44][45] Famous Film star Shaan is team's brand ambassador for 2017 season.[46]

Year Kit Manufacturer Front Branding Back Branding 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

Current squad

Lahore Qalandars
No. Name Nat. Birth date Bat Bowl Contract signed year Salary Notes
Batsmen
12 Cameron Delport South Africa (1989-05-12) 12 May 1989 L R medium 2018 25,000 Overseas
39 Fakhar Zaman Pakistan (1990-04-10) 10 April 1990 L L orthodox spin 2018 70,000 Vice-captain
42 Brendon McCullum New Zealand (1981-09-27) 27 September 1981 R R medium 2018 70,000 Captain; Overseas
50 Chris Lynn Australia (1990-04-10) 10 April 1990 r slow L orthodox 2018 140,000 Overseas
100 Sohail Akhtar Pakistan (1986-03-02) 2 March 1986 R R medium 2018 25,000
Imran Nazir Pakistan (1981-12-16) 16 December 1981 R R off break 2018
All-rounders
24 Agha Salman Pakistan (1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 R R off break 2018 26.34
29 Anton Devcich New Zealand (1985-09-28) 28 September 1985 L Slow L orthodox 2018 24.199 Overseas
31 Ghulam Mudassar Pakistan (1985-09-24) 24 September 1985 R R off break 2018 50,000
35 Aamer Yamin Pakistan (1990-06-26) 26 June 1990 R R medium fast 2017 25,000
51 Bilawal Bhatti Pakistan (1991-09-17) 17 September 1991 R R fast 2018 25,000
66 Angelo Mathews Sri Lanka (1987-06-02) 2 June 1987 R R medium 2018 26.23 Overseas
99 Salman Irshad Pakistan (1995-03-12) 12 March 1995 R R fast 2018 10,000
Abdul Razzaq Pakistan (1979-12-02) 2 December 1979 R R fast-medium 2018
Wicket-keepers
15 Gulraiz Sadaf Pakistan (1989-12-27) 27 December 1989 R — 2018 25,000
33 Denesh Ramdin West Indies Cricket Board (1985-03-13) 13 March 1985 R — 2018 23.108 Overseas
96 Umar Akmal Pakistan (1990-05-26) 26 May 1990 R R off spin 2018 140,000
Sajjad Hashmi Pakistan 2018
Bowlers
10 Shaheen Afridi Pakistan (2000-04-06) 6 April 2000 L L fast 2018 10,000
14 Sohail Khan Pakistan (1984-03-06) 6 March 1984 R R fast 2018 50,000
21 Ghulam Mudassar Pakistan (1999-10-20) 20 October 1999 R L fast medium 2018 10,000
57 Kyle Abbott South Africa (1987-06-18) 18 June 1987 R R fast medium 2018 12,108 Overseas
64 Imran Khan Pakistan (1988-07-14) 14 July 1988 R L medium fast 2018 25,000
75 Sunil Narine West Indies Cricket Board (1988-05-26) 26 May 1988 L R off spin 2018 140,000 Overseas
81 Mitchell McClenaghan New Zealand (1986-06-11) 11 June 1986 L L fast medium 2018 23,1025 Overseas
86 Yasir Shah Pakistan (1986-05-02) 2 May 1986 R leg spin 2018 50,000
90 Mustafizur Rahman Bangladesh (1995-09-06) 6 September 1995 L L fast 2018 70,000 Overseas
888 Raza Hasan Pakistan (1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 R slow L orthodox 2018 25,000

    Management and coaching staff

    Chris Gayle was the icon Player of Lahore Qalandars in first season
    Brendon McCullum is the captain of Lahore Qalandars since the second season
    Name Position
    Pakistan Fawad Rana (QALCO) Owner
    Pakistan Rana Atif CEO
    Pakistan Rana Sameen COO & Manager
    Pakistan Aqib Javed Head coach/Director[3]
    Pakistan Kabir Khan Assistant coach
    Pakistan Atiq-uz-Zaman Fielding coach
    Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar Bowling mentor[47]
    Pakistan Inzamam-ul-haq Batting consultant & Icon
    New Zealand Kyle Mills Technical/Tactical Advisor
    Australia John Gloster Physio
    England Richard Stonier Fitness Trainer

    Captains

    No. Nat. Player From To Mat Won Lost Tie&W Tie&L NR %
    1 Pakistan Azhar Ali 2016 2016 7 3 6 0 0 0 28.57
    2 West Indies Cricket Board Dwayne Bravo 2016 2016 1 0 1 0 0 0 00.00
    3 New Zealand Brendon McCullum 2017 present 18 5 11 1 1 0 33.33
    4 🇵🇰 Sohail Akhtar 2018 2018 3 3 0 0 0 0 100

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 16 March 2018

    Result summary

    Overall result in PSL

    YearPldWonLossTie&WTie&LNRSR(%)PositionSummary
    2016 86200025.005/5Group Stage
    2017 83500037.505/5Group Stage
    2018 1036113030.006/6Group Stage
    Total 2671711030.76-0 Titles

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 16 March 2018

    Head-to-head record

    OppositionSpanMatWonLostTie&WTie&LNRSR%
    Islamabad United2016–present62301041.66
    Karachi Kings2016–present61410025.00
    Multan Sultans2018–present21100050.00
    Peshawar Zalmi2016–present61500016.66
    Quetta Gladiators2016–present62400833.33

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 16 March 2018

    Statistics

    Most runs

    Nat. Player From To Matches Innings Runs Average HS 100 50
    Pakistan Umar Akmal 2016 present 20 20 556 32.70 93 0 5
    Pakistan Fakhar Zaman 2017 present 18 18 454 25.22 94 0 2
    South Africa Cameron Delport 2016 present 14 13 327 27.25 78 0 3
    New Zealand Brendon McCullum 2017 present 18 17 311 20.73 44 0 0
    Pakistan Mohammad Rizwan 2016 2017 16 12 233 25.88 50* 0 1

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 17 March 2018

    Most wickets

    Nat. Player From To Matches Overs Wickets Average BBI 4w 5w
    Trinidad and Tobago Sunil Narine 2017 present 17 66.0 20 20.55 3/28 0 0
    Pakistan Yasir Shah 2017 present 18 66.0 20 22.20 4/7 1 0
    Pakistan Sohail Tanvir 2017 2017 8 29.5 10 25.10 2/24 0 0
    Pakistan Sohail Khan 2018 present 7 25.4 8 28.25 3/34 0 0
    Pakistan Zafar Gohar 2016 2016 5 12.2 7 14.57 4/14 1 0

    Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last Updated: 17 March 2018

    Awards and achievements

    2016 Pakistan Super League League
    • Umar Akmal declared best batsman of the Pakistan Super league 2016 with 335 Runs in 7 matches
    • Lahore Qalandars received tournament's Spirit of Cricket award
    • Achieved second highest score of the tournament's first edition with 201 Runs in 20 Overs
    • Team had Best Run Rate in the tournament
    2017 Pakistan Super League League

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ "Cricket fans in Qatar now cheer for Lahore Qalandars". Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    2. ↑ "Cricket fans in Qatar can now cheer for Lahore Qalandars!". Gulf Times. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    3. 1 2 "Aqib Javed appointed head coach, fakhar zaman appointed vice-captain of Lahore Qalandars". Geo TV. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
    4. ↑ "Qalco an international company bought Lahore team". Associated Press of Pakistan and Dawn Sport. DAWN. 4 December 2015. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
    5. ↑ "Lahore Qalandars/Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo.
    6. ↑ "Lahore Qalandars/Most runs". ESPNcricinfo.
    7. 1 2 "Pakistan Super League: PCB will earn 93 million approx 10 million rs in ten years from PSL auction". 7 December 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
    8. 1 2 "Pakistan Super League: Seven Companies fight it out to buy franchises". Express Tribune. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
    9. ↑ "Pakistan Super League – Tribune Labs". Retrieved 8 September 2016.
    10. ↑ "Rapid ambidextrous quick discovered". Cricket Australia. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
    11. ↑ "Aaqib Found an Amazing talent who can bowl with both arms at 135+ KPH". AAJ News. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
    12. ↑ "Qalandars felt Yasir, Mustafizur's absence in PSL: Lahore Owner". Retrieved 8 September 2016.
    13. ↑ "Qalandars started their tournament with lose against kings". ESPN CricInfo. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
    14. ↑ "Qalandars faces another loss this time against Peshawar". Express Tribune. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
    15. ↑ "Qalandars wins Spirit of Game and FAIR play awards". Express Tribune. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
    16. ↑ "Gayle traded with Sohail Tanvir ahead of 2nd psl draft". Express Tribune. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
    17. ↑ "Transfer window opens as Qalandars traded in Yamin for Maqsood". Social Sports 360. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
    18. ↑ "Qalandars signed McCullum as there new Captain". (Daily News). Retrieved 20 September 2016.
    19. ↑ "Lahore Qalandars 2017 squad" (The News). Retrieved 20 October 2016.
    20. ↑ "Rossouw, spinners help Quetta clinch thriller". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
    21. ↑ "Elliott, Roy star in Lahore's first win". ESPN Cricinfo.
    22. ↑ "Shortest completed innings (by balls)". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
    23. ↑ "Peshawar hobble past Lahore in low-scoring thriller". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
    24. ↑ "Lahore edge past Karachi despite Sangakarra fireworks". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
    25. ↑ "Gladiators overpower Qalandars in high-scoring PSL encounter". Dawn. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
    26. ↑ "Elliott six seals nerve-wracking one-wicket win for Lahore". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
    27. ↑ "Peshawar triumph after spectacular Lahore collapse". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
    28. ↑ "Pollard last-ball six keeps Karachi alive". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
    29. ↑ "PSL 2017 Points Table". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
    30. ↑ "Confident Karachi brace for "clash of the titans" with Lahore". ARY News. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
    31. ↑ "Karachi, Lahore resume PSL rivalry". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
    32. ↑ Rasool, Danyal. "Lahore collapse spectacularly around Junaid's hat-trick". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
    33. ↑ Rasool, Danyal. "Watson, Archer lead nine-wicket rout of Lahore". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
    34. ↑ "Bopara, Afridi consign Lahore to third consecutive defeat". www.ESPNcricinfo.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
    35. ↑ Rasool, Danyal. "Lahore Qalandars blow it in Super Over finish". ESPN Cricinfo.
    36. ↑ "Liam Dawson, Hasan Ali demolish Lahore Qalandars". ESPN Cricinfo.
    37. ↑ "Abu Dhabi to host teams from six countries in T20 tournament". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
    38. ↑ "Cricket fans in Qatar can now cheer for Lahore Qalandars". Gulf Times. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
    39. ↑ "Qalandar Definition". Definitions.net.
    40. ↑ "Lahore Qalandars unveil logo for psl". Cric Tale. Retrieved 11 February 2016. .
    41. ↑ "Qalandars launched new kits ahead of PSL second edition". Geo TV. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
    42. 1 2 "Mobilink announces its partnership with Lahore Qalandars". Phone World. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
    43. ↑ "The battle of the anthems". The News. Maheen Sabeeh. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
    44. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali ready for 'Dama Dam Mast Lahore Qalandars'". Faizan Lakhani – via Geo News.
    45. ↑ "In focus: The Pakistan Super League 2 soundtrack". The News. Maheen Sabeeh. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
    46. ↑ "Shaan join qalandars as ambassador ahead of psl second edition". Geo Tv. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
    47. ↑ "Shoaib Akhtar to Mentor Qalandars in PSL 3". The Nation. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
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