LAHORE - The PSL 8 champions Lahore Qalandars are now focused to promote hockey in Pakistan as they have paced up the preparations to host the first-ever Professional Hockey League. Qalandars’ owners Atif Rana and Sameen Rana alongside Director Aqib Javed met Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Haider Hussain and former Olympian Shahbaz Senior at their office. During the meeting, the hockey league was on top of the discussion. Qalandars’ high-ups shared their plan of introducing a players’ development program in hockey. The Qalandars owners want to work for hockey in the way they did for cricket. After seven years of hard work, Qalandars bagged back-to-back PSL titles. They became the first-ever team in PSL’s history to defend their title. Shahbaz Senior praised Qalandars’ initiative to lift hockey. “It’s heartening to see someone taking an initiative for hockey,” he said. “They can do it because they have built their reputation in cricket.
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People know them and trust them. I think if they work with honesty, they will be able to grow hockey just like they did in cricket,” he said and added: “Hockey is not famous among our youth. We need to promote it in a way that attracts our youngsters as this is the only way to revive the national game.” Qalandars took an initiative to hold open trials in Karachi and Lahore. During the PSL 8, Shaheen Afridi and the company reached Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) ground to watch the trials. Hundreds of kids appeared in the trials at KHA. Trials in Lahore will take place later on. After the trials, Qalandars will host a hockey series between the teams of Karachi and Lahore. Shaheen will be the ambassador of Karachi whereas Haris Rauf will be in the camp of Lahore.