The ninth Pakistan Super League (PSL) Lahore leg ended on Tuesday with Qalandars’ 60-run loss against Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Stadium. The defending champions’ sixth straight loss was awful. Lets look at Reasons for Lahore Qalandars’ PSL 9 first leg loss.
Reasons for Lahore Qalandars’ PSL 9 first leg loss
In the ongoing season of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) premier tournament, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s players were considered the favorites to win the illusive trophy for the third time in a row.
This article examines the Lahore Qalandars’ poor run as their playoff chances seemed to have faded. Poor draft strategy on December 13, 2023, caused Lahore Qalandars to struggle to field a good playing XI.
Aaqib Javed decided to recruit players for an established top-order and chose Sahibzada Farhan and Rassie van der Dussen. Instead of shaking up their batting, the management could have picked one of the two and improved their middle order by picking a power-hitting option to score runs in the middle.
Since drafting Van van Dussen and Farhan, the number four batting spot has changed frequently. Abdullah Shafique, a top-order hitter, failed to perform, therefore West Indies ODI leader Shai Hope substituted him. The wicket-keeper batsman struggled, therefore Kamran Ghulam replaced him for the Multan Sultans match, but he too struggled.
No runs have come for Fakhar Zaman’s bat. Thus, someone should have scored some runs in the middle or later innings.
Mirza Tahir Baig, Fakhar Zaman, and Abdullah Shafique helped Lahore Qalandars win the 2023 trophy with their batting and run-scoring skills.
Poor bowling
Lahore Qalandars’ 2022 and 2023 title-winning lineups relied on their bowling assault, but this season they haven’t performed well. Zaman Khan, who excelled for Lahore Qalandars in the powerplay and death, hasn’t appeared on the song in the ninth PSL. He has six wickets and 12.55 economy.
Haris Rauf struggled in the Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023 before the PSL. In the present PSL, he showed signs of recovery, but his bowling wasn’t up to par until the match against Karachi Kings, when he took a wicket and conceded 22 runs in four overs. He dislocated his shoulder while fielding during the clash, missing the rest of the competition.
Injuries
In the commotion, David Wiese and Haris Rauf injuries exacerbated Lahore Qalandars’ problems. The “murshid” (guide or teacher) from Namibia missed Lahore Qalandars’ five matches after injuring his leg in the opening encounter against Islamabad United on February 17 in Lahore. West Indies all-rounder Carlos Braithwaite replaced him, but Wiese’s bat and ball form was better, and the lanky all-rounder often won the match with his experience and expertise.
