The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) gets underway on Monday

The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) gets underway on Monday, with Multan Sultans taking on defending champions Lahore Qalandars in Multan.
We bring to you a team-wise break-up leading up to the start of another PSL season

Lahore Qalandars,
The defending champions of the Pakistan Super League are a strong contender to make it two in two. Well, that will be truly magical, considering the fact that Lahore had to wait 7 years before claiming their first PSL title.
They found themselves at the bottom of the points table in all the first 4 seasons.

Lahore Qalandars Squad Breakdown

Batsmen: Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat, Jalat Khan, Ahsan Bhatti, Shawaiz Irfan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Jordan Cox(wk), Sam Billings(wk), Shane Dadswell, Kusal Mendis(wk)

All-Rounders: Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, David Wiese, Rashid Khan

Fast-Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi(c), Haris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain, Zaman Khan, Ahmed Danyal

Strengths

Lahore Qalandars have formed a strong squad for the PSL 2023, and here are its biggest strengths

After Shaheen, Rauf comes in to bowl, and he usually threatens to take a wicket in every over. He picks wickets in the powerplay, dismisses batters in the middle overs,
and is terrific at the death. Considering his current form and performances, it won’t be wrong to say that he will be LQ’s most important bowler in PSL 8.

Squad Weaknesses

Despite having a solid all-round squad, Qalandars have a weak zone in it.

PSL 2022, Mohammad Hafeez and Harry Brook were the two mainstays in Lahore’s middle order. Hafeez was the Player of the Match in the final, and Brook
was impressive throughout the tournament. But Hafeez was released by Qalandars, and Brook isn’t available due to his England’s busy schedule.

In this situation, we will see a new look middle order for the Qalandars. Kamran Ghulam is likely to bat at #3, but his strike rate in T20 cricket is just 123.
Moreover, Jordan Cox will be playing in Pakistan for the first time. Sikandar Raza is enjoying his golden run of form, but the rest of these batters don’t look promising.
So, this middle-order can crumble easily under pressure.

Lahore Qalandars are one of the hot favourite sides for PSL 2023. Their bowling is as good as any franchise team in the world can have. Also, they have a reliable opening pair at the top.
With David Wiese and Rashid Khan as finishers, they can always expect to finish at a high.

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