Captain Shaheen Afridi promises a different Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2022

KARACHI: Lahore Qalandars' captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has promised that his team will be in a different mood in the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from what it was in the previous six editions.

Talking to a virtual press conference, Afridi said that he is confident that Qalandars will not let down the fans in upcoming editions of the PSL.

"We have practiced well in the camp before coming to Karachi and have tried to overcome our mistakes. I assure you that you'll find Qalandars totally a different team this time. We played some practice matches and have an idea of how we've to go in matches," he said.

"I am happy to have the best bowling attack in the PSL as the top performers of T20 cricket, including Haris Rauf and Rashid Khan, are with Lahore Qalandars," Afridi said.

Shaheen was named captain by Qalandars earlier, replacing less-known Sohail Akhtar, who had led the team in 2020 and 2021 editions.

Under Sohail's leadership, Lahore played the first-ever final of PSL in 2020, where they went down against Karachi Kings. In 2021, after a brilliant start, Lahore lost the momentum and lost consecutive matches to eliminate from the race to the play-offs.

Before that, the Qalandars had finished at the bottom in each of four seasons.

However, the new captain is confident of a changed fortune this time.

When asked what difference he aims to bring in Qalandars, Shaheen said he will try to impress others with his performance and keep everyone gelled together as a team.

"My goal is to contribute with my bowling, and as a captain, to set an example for the players. There's no pressure of captaincy, and I don't think that the leadership will affect my performance," Afridi said.

Shaheen revealed that Shahid Afridi had advised him against accepting the captaincy role, but he opted against his advice.

"He thought that the pressure of captaincy would affect my individual performance as a bowler, but I believe that it won't affect my performance, but it will motivate me to do even better. Due to this, I chose to accept the offer," Afridi concluded.