Lahore Qalandars highlight importance of Rashid Khan playing HBL PSL 6

Lahore Qalandars CEO Atif Rana, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, highlighted the importance of having Afghanistan’s leg-spinner Rashid Khan in their side for the upcoming resumption of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six.

Rana stated that it was a big loss for Qalandars when Rashid had to leave for national duties during the initial stage of the tournament.

“Rashid Khan has been declared by the ICC as the number one T20 bowler of the past decade. When we picked him initially, it was our wish that he remained with us for longer but, unfortunately, he had to leave because of national duties. That was a big loss for us at the time. Then he was in the IPL which was postponed. He had a contract with a county side as well. So we pursued him and made a request. I should tell you as good a cricketer he is, he is also that great a human being. It also shows how well this Lahore Qalandars group is gelled together. It is so well coordinated that they want to play for Qalandars and want the side to win. It also shows the environment in our dressing room that a player like this also raises the stature of the entire league itself. I think it is because of the efforts of the Qalandars management that he came back,” Rana said.

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The Qalandars’ CEO revealed that his side had 120 players in the pipeline, itching to make a mark on a global platform.

“There is Dilbar Hussain who has not yet been able to make a place into the national side. We have Daniyal and Faizan along with a very long line of players waiting to make their mark. We have more than 120 players in our pipeline who are all good players at their own levels and categories. The competition in Qalandars is very strong,” he said.

Rana also stressed the importance of their captain Sohail Akhtar, who has been instrumental in changing the fortunes of the franchise.

“We were at the bottom for the first four seasons. In the fifth season when we made Sohail the captain, we played in the final. We have started the sixth season in a way that we never could before. This is the first season in which we have won three out of four matches in the start. Definitely Sohail has the leadership capabilities along with another important aspect which is knowing his players. That is very important for a captain. The youngsters have been playing with Sohail because of the development programs and that is why he knows how to use them. That is another aspect why this decision has paid dividends as well,” he concluded.