Lahore Qalandars confident they will lift PSL 6 trophy

KARACHI: Setting his eyes on the trophy for the Pakistan Super League (PSL)'s next edition, Lahore Qalandars’ captain Sohail Akhtar said that his team was stronger than before, and players were eager to give their best.

“We played well in the previous edition as well, but unfortunately, we could not [win] the tournament. This year, we have corrected our mistakes, and I am hopeful that Qalandars will be a better team than before,” he said, while speaking to Geo.tv.

The team, undoubtedly the most active franchise of the league, finished at bottom of four consecutive seasons before playing the final in 5th edition.

The 34-year-old aggressive batsman said that he is satisfied with the team combination and picks at the draft.

“Initially our preparations were affected due to COVID-19 pandemic, but I am glad that Qalandars’ High-Performance Center has now resumed, and we are getting state-of-the-art facilities to prepare ourselves for the next season,” he said.

This year, Lahore’s line-up has added Afghanistan’s spinner Rashid Khan who was recently declared ICC’s player of the decade in T20Is. His availability for the whole season is still uncertain, but Sohail feels that Rashid’s arrival will make the side’s bowling stronger.

Rashid is a magnificent bowler and has performed everywhere, he said, adding that Pakistan’s conditions suit and he’ll be very effective. “He will surely make our bowling unit stronger than ever.”

“Our locals are also in good form, and I am sure the home conditions will give advantage to our local strength as they’ve been playing domestic season on these conditions. Also, we continue to work on developing our new talent, and this year – like previous years – we will continue to produce local talent,” he added.