3 key players who hold the key for Lahore Qalandars' success in PSL 8

The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) begins on 13th February with the defending champions Lahore Qalandars taking on the Multan Sultans.

The Qalandars, led by speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi, will aim to win back-to-back titles. They have a squad full of Pakistan and overseas international superstars.

Shaheen is accompanied by Haris Rauf, Rashid Khan, and David Wiese in the bowling department. The team also has the likes of Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman in the batting department who have performed well in the previous editions.

We know how invaluable Shaheen Shah Afridi is for the Lahore Qalandars' campaign in PSL 8. However. the team needs contributions from other players as well to go further in the tournament.

Let's look at the three other players in the Lahore Qalandars squad who will play a key role in their quest to retain the Pakistan Super League title.

#1 Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf is arguably the best T20 bowler for Pakistan at the moment. He has been in sublime form and was the leader of the pace attack in the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.

Rauf has taken 72 wickets from 57 matches in T20Is and has experience playing for the big leagues around the globe. His partnership with skipper Shaheen Afridi will be the deciding factor for the Lahore Qalandars campaign this year.

Haris Rauf will be extremely crucial in the death overs and opponents will find it tough to smash him around.

#2 Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza has had a dream run for Zimbabwe in limited-overs cricket since late 2021. On numerous occasions, Raza has stood as a one-man army for his national side.

The middle-order batter played a vital role in Zimbabwe's dream run in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier tournament. There, he was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

In 2022, he scored 615 runs in ODIs and 516 runs in T20Is, which included sensational performances against Bangladesh and India. His spin bowling will be very handy, if needed, alongside Rashid Khan.

#3 Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman is, arguably, the best batter in the Lahore Qalandars squad. He has scored the most runs (1,939), the most fifty-plus scores (17), taken most catches (29) and hit the most sixes (73) for the franchise.

He will look to give a cracking start to the Qalandars and set the tone from the top of the order. Fakhar recently returned to the Pakistan side after injury and gained his form against New Zealand by scoring a century and a fifty.

This is a positive sign for the Qalandars think-tank. With Mohammed Hafeez not around anymore, Fakhar will have a bigger responsibility this year.