PSL 2026: ‘Best in the World’ — Haris Rauf Claims Lahore Qalandars Bowling Attack is Better Than International Teams

Fast bowler Haris Rauf has put his weight behind the bowling unit of Lahore Qalandars stating that the side has the bowlers of different class and calibre. 

“Lahore Qalandars have the bowling unit that’s better than an international side. We have the best T20 bowlers. Be it pace or be it spin, we have some of the finest bowlers. In fact, the bench strength is also very good,” Rauf said. 

The Qalandars started off PSL 2026 on a positive note after beating Hyderabad Kingsmen by 69 runs in Lahore. Opener Fakhar Zaman notched up a brilliant fifty while Haseebullah Khan chipped in with 40 off 28. Sikandar Raza also hit an aggressive 24 off 10 to help the side post 199/6 in 20 overs. 

Later, the Qalandars bowlers looked in brilliant touch as they bundled out the side for 130 with captain Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring with 26 off 22. 

Shaheen Afridi picked up one wicket, Ubaid Shah and Haris Rauf bagged a couple of wickets each and Mustafizur Rahman scalped one. The Qalandars will next play Karachi Kings on March 29 in Lahore. 

“We enjoyed it, we’ve been together for the last week and have had good game time. Fakhar and Naeem were excellent in the powerplay with the batting. We struggled a bit in the middle overs, but this is just the start of a tournament and we have plenty of firepower. Mustafizur and I started at the same time for the Qalandars and we’re back together. Rauf has been good for us – we’ve made changes to the playing XI at times and it’s worked. That’s my job, when I’m batting, I try to build momentum for the team. We wanted to take wickets and build the pressure,” Afridi said after the match. 

A revised schedule was announced by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier. All matches will now be staged in Lahore and Karachi.

In the updated schedule 44 matches will be taking place in a space of 39 days with Lahore and Karachi each hosting 22 matches. The opening match between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Lahore Qalandars remains intact, while Lahore will also see Eliminator 1, 2 and the final. Qualifier will be played in Karachi.

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