Who Owns Lahore Qalandars?

Lahore Qalandars was established in 2015 as one of the five founding franchises of the Pakistan Super League, Pakistan's premier Twenty20 cricket competition modeled after the Indian Premier League. The franchise was awarded to Fawad Rana's consortium, which paid approximately $24 million for the franchise rights. The team is named after the Qalandars, Sufi mystics historically associated with Lahore's spiritual heritage.

The early years proved challenging for the Qalandars on the field. The team finished last in the PSL standings for four consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2019, earning the unwanted distinction of being the league's perennial underperformers despite representing Pakistan's second-largest and most cricket-passionate city. However, the franchise invested heavily in grassroots development through the Players Development Program (PDP), which scouts talent from across Pakistan through open trials.

The investment in youth development began paying dividends in the 2020s. Lahore Qalandars reached the PSL final in 2020 and finally won their maiden PSL title in 2022, defeating Multan Sultans in a dramatic final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The victory was celebrated across the city and vindicated the franchise's long-term development strategy. The Qalandars won a second consecutive title in 2023, establishing themselves as the dominant force in Pakistan's premier cricket competition.

The franchise has attracted international cricket stars including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rashid Khan, and AB de Villiers (in earlier seasons), building a brand that resonates with cricket fans across Pakistan and the global Pakistani diaspora. The Qalandars' Players Development Program has discovered several players who have gone on to represent Pakistan at the international level.