Lahore Qalandars have the most incredible story in the seven-year history of the Pakistan Super League.
You would imagine that playing in a competition of just five teams, and later six, would mean that failing consistently would not be a possibility. But Qalandars found themselves in just that position, finishing dead last in the first four editions of the T20 league.
They tried a number of captains, including three in the 2019 season, but nothing seemed to work. Then, the rise of one player coincided with a change in fortunes.
Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi – one of the big success stories of Qalandars' abundance of pace-bowling talent – made his debut for the franchise in 2018 having just made his domestic debut the previous year, and quickly became the country's premier cricketer.
In 2020, Lahore threw the form book out of the window to storm into the final, where they lost to Karachi Kings. They did not have to wait for long for the ultimate success as Afridi, now captain, took them all the way to the title last year as they beat Multan Sultans in the final.
Even before winning the PSL title, Lahore had gained a reputation of providing Pakistan world-class pace bowling talent. Haris Rauf is the product of their talent hunt, while young fast bowler Zaman Khan helped them win the title by bowling a match-winning spell of 2-26 in the final last year.
The story of Lahore's playing kit is as varied as their performances. They started off with a jersey that was all black with a splash of red. But the switched to a green kit the following season and have kept it throughout. They retained the black and red kit, albeit for away matches.
Lahore Qalandars' jerseys over the years can be seen in the picture gallery above.
PSL 2023 begins in Multan on February 13.
Lahore Qalandars PSL 2023 schedule
February 13: Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars, Multan Cricket Stadium, 6.30pm UAE time (7.30pm local)
Feb 19: Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars, National Stadium, Karachi, 5.30pm
Feb 21: Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars, National Stadium, Karachi, 5.30pm
Feb 26: Lahore Qalandars v Peshawar Zalmi, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Feb 27: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
March 2: Lahore Qalandars v Quetta Gladiators, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Mar 4: Lahore Qalandars v Multan Sultans, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Mar 7: Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 12.30pm
Mar 9: Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 5.30pm
Mar 12: Lahore Qalandars v Karachi Kings, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 5.30pm
Squad
Shaheen Afridi (captain) Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese, Abdullah Shafique, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Zaman Khan, Liam Dawson, Dilbar Hussain, Mirza Tahir Baig, Ahmed Danlyal, Shawaiz Irfan, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Sam Billings, Rashid Khan, Shane Dadswell, Kusal Mendis, Jordan Cox
Lahore's results in each season
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019: last; 2020: runners-up; 2021: second last; 2022: champions
