Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program
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The Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program is a player development program of Lahore Qalandars that conducts cricket players' trials throughout Punjab.[1][2]
Established in 2016 by the Lahore Qalandars, the Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program identifies and develops emerging cricketers not previously integrated into Pakistan's domestic cricket system.[3] Through this program, representatives visit various cities, conduct trials, and curate city-specific squads.[3] These squads participate in a tournament overseen by the Qalandars, with top performers progressing to further training at the Qalandars High-Performance Center (QHPC) in Lahore.[3] The program has expanded to include both male and female cricketers.[3][4]
In the early stages of the program, selected squads played matches in Australia against Big Bash League teams, including the Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder, and Hobart Hurricanes.[3] Players such as Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad, and Ghulam Rabbani subsequently received contracts with clubs in Australia, with Rauf later participating in the Big Bash and representing Pakistan.[3]
Affiliations
The Lahore Qalandars have also established affiliations with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Yorkshire Cricket Club.[3] Annually, two standout participants of the program receive training at the MCC.[3] A player exchange agreement is also in place with Yorkshire.[3] Matches between Qalandars and Yorkshire are scheduled yearly.[3]