The 9th edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) is being played in four cities these days. But it became a disappointment for the defending champion Lahore Qalandars as it is one of the most expensive teams of PSL. It failed to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth time in nine appearances.

In the ongoing edition, Qalandars won only one match out of their first eight games. They lost six while one was drawn due to rain. In the first four PSL editions they finished last, but improved their performances in the next seasons.

Qalandars remain at the bottom of the table with only three points. The defending champions cannot qualify for the PSL playoffs.

In 2022, the Lahore Qalandars’ management took a brave decision and appointed their ace fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi captain for the PSL seventh season.

The decision changed the fortune for Lahore Qalandars as they shattered Multan Sultan dream of becoming the first team to successfully defend PSL title and Shaheen Shah Afridi-led home side lifted the PSL-7 trophy in front of a full house at the Gaddafi Stadium. After Lahore’s win all six teams had won the league at least once.

Islamabad United won it in 2016 and 2018, Peshawar Zalmi in 2017, Quetta Gladiators in 2019, Karachi Kings in 2020, Multan Sultans (2021), and Lahore Qalandars in 2022 and 2023.

People think that Lahore’s win was a fluke and in the next season, they will not repeat their performance. But Shaheen proved all speculations wrong and became the first team to defend the title.

Shaheen became the youngest captain - at the age of 21 - to win a T20 league title. Shaheen broke the record of Indian star batsman Rohit Sharma, who led Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians to the title, aged 26, in 2013.

Shaheen converted a demoralized side into a fighting unit. Before Shaheen, seven players had led Lahore Qalandars - Azhar Ali and DJ Bravo in 2016, Brendon McCullum in 2017, Sohail Akhtar (2018), Mohammad Hafeez, AB de Villiers and Fakhar Zaman in 2019 and Sohail Akhtar in 2021, but it was Shaheen who gave the first PSL title to Lahore.

In the ongoing 9th edition, Lahore Qalandars lost matches because their players failed to handle pressure. They selected mostly hitters. There is nobody in the team to consolidate the innings and stay at the crease till the end.

Qalandars have had such stars as Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Rassie van der Dussen, Shai Hope, Sikandar Raza, David Wiese but they have collectively failed to deliver as a team.

Fakhar’s torrid run of form with the bat continued. Lahore Qalandar mostly depended on him but he failed miserably. He managed only 103 runs in the first seven matches at an average of just 14.71 without scoring any fifty in the tournament so far. His highest score has been 41.

Only Rassie van der Dussen single handedly has borne the batting burden with 364 runs in seven matches with the help of one hundred and three fifties, averaging 72.8 and a strike rate of 154.89.

Sahibzada Farhan is behind him with 241 runs in seven games including three fifties with the average of 40.16. Other than the above two batsmen, no other batsman has scored 150 runs. That has been the main reason for Qalandar’s disappointing performance in the tournament.

Not only batting, but Lahore’s bowling performance has not been upto the mark. Qalandars have a good bowling attack, with Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Tayyab Abbas and David Wiese. But mostly they failed to hold their nerves, especially in the death overs due to which they failed to defend even high totals.

Only skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi disturbed the opposition batsmen with his swing bowling with the new ball.

In seven matches he has taken 11 wickets at an average of 21.09 and an economy rate of 8.28.

Fast bowler Zaman Khan is behind him with 10 wickets, averaging 26.50 but his economy rate is 10.19 .

Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the remainder of PSL 2024 with a dislocated shoulder. The Lahore Qalandars fast bowler suffered the injury during the match against Karachi Kings and will need four to six weeks to recover.

“The medical panel, after consultation, concluded that he needs four to six weeks to recover, forcing him to miss the PSL season,” the Qalandars said in a statement.

Despite his recent form Rauf’s absence is a big loss to an already faltering Qalandars side as they were already missing the services of Afghan superstar spinner Rashid Khan who missed this season due to an injury.

Lahore Qalandars head coach Aaqib Javed admitted that Qalandars played poor cricket in this season. “The combination of the Qalandars could not be formed. Both the bowling and fielding were not up to the mark. We have variety in our spin bowling department. But not getting the wickets makes the situation difficult. Our team heavily relies on the bowling department, but having an incomplete bowling attack has hurt us,” he added.

The Qalandars must win their remaining two matches against Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, taking their total points to seven. They then need a significant shift in results from other teams. Zalmi, Islamabad United, and Karachi Kings, or at least Karachi and Islamabad, need to lose all their remaining games. That will create a slight chance for Lahore Qalandars to qualify for the playoffs.

While mathematically possible, the Qalandars’ playoff qualification seems highly improbable. Their focus might shift towards building momentum for the next season.

khurrams87@yahoo.com