The Lahore Qalandars, the reigning champions of the Pakistan Super League, find themselves in an unenviable position. After losing all five of their opening matches, they sit rock bottom of the table, staring down the barrel of an early exit.
However, the team and their fans haven’t given up hope just yet. The path to the playoffs for the Qalandars is clear, yet incredibly challenging. They need to win all five of their remaining matches, a feat that will require a significant turnaround in form. Historically, a minimum of 10 points, achieved through wins, has been the benchmark for reaching the playoffs.
Furthermore, simply winning isn’t enough. Due to their current position, the Qalandars need favorable results from other teams to avoid points clashes and potentially advance based on Net Run Rate (NRR). This means they will need to win by large margins to improve their NRR, which is currently the worst in the tournament.
Here’s a breakdown of Lahore Qalandars remaining fixtures:
February 27: Multan Sultans (Lahore)
March 2: Peshawar Zalmi (Rawalpindi)
March 6: Islamabad United (Rawalpindi)
March 9: Karachi Kings (Karachi)
March 10: Quetta Gladiators (Karachi)
Winning these matches will be no easy task. The Qalandars will need their batting to fire consistently, with the likes of Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique finding form. Their bowling attack, which has leaked runs, needs to tighten up, with Shaheen Afridi leading the charge and getting support from the likes of David Wiese and Zaman Khan.
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