PSL 2021: 3 reasons why Lahore Qalandars can win their first title this year
PSL 2021 is all set to resume this Wednesday, with a match between the Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United.
After the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) postponed the 2021 season on March 4, the competition will now resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi.
The Lahore Qalandars have been a part of the Pakistan Super League since 2015. However, the franchise has never captured the PSL championship.
Some big international names like Chris Gayle, DJ Bravo, Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine, Jason Roy, AB de Villiers and Carlos Brathwaite have been a part of the Lahore Qalandars squad. Still, the Qalandars finished in the last position in the first four seasons of the PSL.
Last year, they finally realized their potential and reached the PSL 2020 final. Unfortunately, they lost to the Karachi Kings in the summit clash.
Nevertheless, the Lahore Qalandars have an opportunity to end their title drought this year in the United Arab Emirates.
Here are three reasons why the Lahore Qalandars can win the PSL 2021 title.
3. Lahore Qalandars looked in great touch during the first phase of PSL 2021
Lahore Qalandars played four matches in Karachi during the first phase of PSL 2021. They registered three wins and earned six points from those four games. Currently, the Qalandars are in the top four of the points table.
They opened their campaign with a win against former champions Peshawar Zalmi. In their next game, they chased a 179-run target against the Quetta Gladiators with nine wickets in hand.
Although the Multan Sultans defeated them in their third fixture, Lahore bounced back by defeating defending champion Karachi Kings by six wickets.
Since they were in excellent form during the first phase of PSL 2021, they will start as one of the favorites to win the championship.
2. The Rashid Khan factor
Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan performed brilliantly for the Lahore Qalandars in the first phase of PSL 2021. The right-arm leg-spinner picked up one wicket in two matches, but most importantly, he built pressure on the opposition with his economy rate of 5.50 runs per over.
In the game against Peshawar Zalmi, Rashid played a match-winning knock of 27 runs off just 15 deliveries to guide the Lahore Qalandars home.
Last year, the Afghan star played 16 matches in the United Arab Emirates during IPL 2020. He picked up 20 wickets for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and maintained an economy rate of 5.37.
Rashid Khan could prove to be an 'X-factor' for the Lahore Qalandars, and if he plays to his full potential, the opposition teams will find it very difficult to beat Lahore.
1. Experienced T20 stars in the batting unit
Lahore Qalandars already had Mohammed Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Ben Dunk and Sohail Akhtar in their batting department. The franchise has further strengthened its batting unit by signing Australian batsman Callum Ferguson in the mini replacement Draft.
Ferguson has played 147 T20 matches in his career, scoring over 3,000 runs, including two centuries and 15 fifties.
His compatriot James Faulkner has also joined the Lahore Qalandars. Fans know Faulkner can turn the game with his big hits in the slog overs.
Another new addition to the team is Sri Lanka's Seekkuge Prasanna, who has scored 1,770 runs at a strike rate of 160.47 in his T20 career. This trio of experienced players will bolster Lahore's batting unit.
Other franchises will find it difficult to stop Lahore this year. It will be interesting to see if Sohail Akhtar's team can win the championship.