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Quetta Gladiators
Cricket team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Quetta Gladiators (Urdu and Balochi: کوئٹہ گلیڈی ایٹرز) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team represents Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, Pakistan, and was established in 2015 with the inception of the PSL by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).[2]
The franchise is owned by Nadeem Omar of the Omar Associates group.[3] Saud Shakeel is the current captain, while Sarfaraz Ahmed, who captained the team from 2016 to 2023, now serves as the head coach.[4] Moin Khan acts as the team manager and Abdul Razzaq serves as the assistant coach.[5] Viv Richards continues to be the team’s mentor.[6]
Quetta Gladiators won their maiden PSL title in the 2019 season, defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final.[7] The team plays most of its home matches at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with Bugti Stadium in Quetta serving as its official home ground.[8]
Sarfaraz Ahmed remains the franchise’s all-time leading run-scorer, while Mohammad Nawaz is the leading wicket-taker.[9][10]
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Franchise history
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In December 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board unveiled the owners of all five city-based franchises for the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League. The Quetta franchise was sold to the Karachi-based company Omar Associates for US$11 million for a ten-year period.[11][12]
In November 2025, following the conclusion of the original contract, the franchise renewed its rights for another decade (2026–2035). The renewal was based on a new valuation by Ernst & Young, which shifted the financial model from US dollars to Pakistani Rupees. Under the new agreement, the annual franchise fee for Quetta Gladiators was set at Rs. 340 million.[13][14]
2016 season: Runners-up
Quetta Gladiators began their inaugural campaign with strong performances, securing early wins against Islamabad United and Karachi Kings.[15] The arrival of Grant Elliott mid-season bolstered the squad, and a key victory over Karachi confirmed their spot as the first team to reach the playoffs.[16]
The team finished 2nd in the league table, winning six of their eight matches.[17] In the first qualifier, Quetta defeated Peshawar Zalmi by one run in a thriller, with Kevin Pietersen scoring 53 and Kumar Sangakkara 37.[18] This victory propelled them to the final, where they lost to Islamabad United by six wickets despite posting a competitive total of 174.[19] Ahmed Shehzad was the leading run-scorer with 290 runs, while Mohammad Nawaz led the bowling attack with 13 wickets.
2017 season: Runners-up
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Ahead of the 2017 season, Quetta released Kumar Sangakkara and Grant Elliott, replacing them wit hforeign signings like Rilee Rossouw, Mahmudullah, and Tymal Mills.[20][21]
Quetta again performed well in the group stages. They successfully chased 201 runs against Lahore Qalandars, where Kevin Pietersen scored 88 off 42 balls.[22] Despite losing their last two league games, they qualified for the playoffs comfortably. In the first qualifier, they defeated Peshawar Zalmi by just 1 run after setting a target of 201, securing a direct spot in the final.[23]
However, the team faced a major setback before the final in Lahore as key foreign players, including Pietersen and Rossouw, refused to travel due to security concerns.[24] Fielding a depleted side, Quetta was bowled out for 90 runs chasing 148, losing the final to Peshawar Zalmi by 58 runs.[25]
2018 season
In their opening game of the 2018 season, the Gladiators blemished their 100% success rate against Karachi Kings and lost to them for the first time - by 19 runs in the chase of 150.[26] But in the next match, the Gladiators rebounded with an emphatic 9-wicket-win over Lahore Qalandars. This was their biggest win in terms of wicket margin, as they chased down Qalandar's target of 120 runs in 14 overs.[27]
As the league stage shifted to Sharjah, the Gladiators beat Islamabad United by 6 wickets in the successful chase of a 135-run target. Kevin Pietersen anchored the innings with his contribution of 48 runs.[28] The following match, however, the team lost a thriller against rivals Peshawer Zalmi. Batting first, the Gladiators set a target of 143 runs in a batting display that was punctuated with starts and stops on a two-paced pitch. In reply, the Zalmis were on course for victory at 107-2 before losing three quick wickets to end up requiring 22 runs from the last two overs. At this point, an injured Darren Sammy single-handedly won the match for his team by striking 16 runs from 4 balls to finish the game with 2 balls to go.[29] The Gladiators were comprehensively beaten in the next game by Multan Sultans. Batting first, the team could only muster 102 runs on the board as they suffered a major batting collapse - losing their last 5 wickets for a solitary run. In reply, the Sultans chased down the target with 9 wickets to spare.[30]
As the tournament shifted back to Dubai, the Gladiators experienced a change in fortune. The team won by 2 wickets in a closely fought contest against Multan Sultans. Chasing a target of 153 runs, they lost wickets at regular intervals before cameos from the lower order ensured that the team won off a penultimate-ball six hit by Hasan Khan.[31] The Gladiators continued with their winning streak as they beat Karachi Kings and Peshawer Zalmi in the next two games. Against the Kings, the Gladiators set a target of 181 runs - their highest total of the season. It was built upon strong batting performances by Shane Watson, who scored 90*(58) - the highest individual score in this edition of the PSL - and Kevin Pietersen, who scored 52(34). In reply, the Kings suffered regular wicket losses that culminated in a 67-run loss.[32] Against, the Zalmis, Quetta chased down a target 158 runs in the final over with 6 wickets in hand. The chase was guided by an unbroken 74-runs partnership between Rilee Rossouw and captain, Sarfraz Ahmad.[33]
2019 season: Champions
Gladiators finished the group stage in the second position by winning seven of their matches and losing three.[34] They then defeated Peshawar Zalmi in the qualifier by 10 runs.[35]
In the final in Karachi, the Gladiators defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 8 wickets to win their first title. Gladiators' Mohammad Hasnain was awarded the man of the match award.[36]
2020 season
The team started their season with a win over Islamabad United by 3 wickets in the opening game of the season.[37] In their second match, team lost to Peshawar Zalmi by six wickets.[38] The team won their next two matches against Karachi Kings[39] and Islamabad United respectively,[40] both by five wickets. Quetta then went on a losing streak, facing defeat in their next four matches. Their ninth match was abandoned due to rain.[41] In their last match of the group stage, Quetta defeated Kings by 5 wickets,[42] equaling points with Peshawar Zalmi but failed to qualify for the play-offs for the first time in team's history, due to low run-rate. In the end, they finished in the fifth position at league's table.[43]
2021 season
2022 season
2023 season
The Quetta Gladiators finished the 2023 season in the last position (6th) on the league table, winning only three out of their ten matches and failing to qualify for the play-offs for the fourth consecutive year.[44]
The team's campaign featured a historic match against Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi. After Zalmi posted a total of 240/2, driven by a century from Babar Azam (115 runs), the Gladiators completed the highest successful run-chase in PSL history, scoring 243/2 with ten balls remaining. This record victory was secured by Jason Roy, who hit an unbeaten 145 runs off 63 balls.[45]
2024 season
Quetta gladiators lost their first match against Peshawar zalmi however they made to the semis but unfortunately islamabad beats gladiators in semifinals
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Team identity
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The team name and the official logo were revealed on 6 January 2016 in Quetta during a ceremony held by team owner Nadeem Omar. The logo depicts a variant of the ancient Roman 'Galea' helmet, worn by gladiators during their fights. The helmet is flanked by two bats that are poised as gladiatorial swords.[46] The team's primary kit colours are purple and golden. The kit was revealed on 7 January 2016 in a launch ceremony held in Quetta.
The team's chant is Kai Kai Quetta,[47] which is taken from the war cry, Kai Kai, coined by the Baloch Regiment during World War II. It literally translates to 'we are coming'.[48]
Anthems
- 2016 PSL: "Chaa Jaye Quetta" - Faakhir Mehmood and Faheem Allan Fakir[46][49]
- 2017 PSL: "Chah Gaya Quetta" - Faakhir Mehmood featuring Sarfaraz Ahmed
- 2018 PSL: "Agae Shaan Se Hum" - Zordaar11 featuring Faakhir Mehmood and Aima Baig
- 2019 PSL: "We The Gladiators" - Dwayne Bravo[50] / "Quetta Gladiator Anthem 2019" - Bayaan
- 2020 PSL: "Shaan-e-Pakistan Hain Hum" - Harris Jalil Mir and Hasan Bin Hisam
- 2021 PSL: "Aar Ya Paar" - Raamis[51]
- 2022 PSL: "Shaan-e-Pakistan" - Bilal Maqsood featuring Ahmed Murtaza[52][53]
- 2023 PSL: "We're The Champions" - Dwayne Bravo[54]
Ambassadors
Before the start of the 2017 season, team's official mascot named "Gladdy" was revealed, making Quetta Gladiators the first team to officially introduce a mascot for the tournament.[55]
In early 2017, Quetta chose pop singer Annie Khalid as their team ambassador.[56] Other notables joining Quetta in ambassadorial roles are Chaman-based footballer Kaleemullah and Quetta-based MMA fighter Ahmed Mujtaba.[57] They were joined by Maya Ali and Faakhir Mehmood as team's brand ambassadors in 2018.[58][59] Only Maya Ali continued her role in 2019 and 2020.[60][61] She remained the ambassador in 2021 as well, when she was joined by actor Bilal Ashraf, who was recruited in 2020.
On 23 January 2022, Quetta unveiled the music video of its official anthem for the seventh edition of PSL, which featured actors Adnan Siddiqui and Ushna Shah,[62] and comedian Syed Shafaat Ali.
Sponsors
For the season 2016, Edenrobe and ACM Gold were the team's title sponsor and official partners respectively.[63] For the second season, Jubilee Insurance became Quetta's main title sponsor. Master Oil became the team's associate sponsor and Chocka and KHL were team's official partners. PTV Sports and Suno FM 89.4 were official media partners, while Tapmad was the team's official streaming partner.[64]
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Current squad
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- Source: Cricinfo
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Management and coaching staff
Nadeem Omar is the owner of the Quetta Gladiators.[65][66][67]
Captains
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 15 March 2024
Result summary
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Overall result in PSL
- Tie+W and Tie+L indicates matches tied and then won or Lost in a tiebreaker such as a bowlout or one-over-eliminator ("Super Over")
- The result percentage excludes no results and counts ties (irrespective of a tiebreaker) as half a win.
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 15 March 2024
Head-to-head record
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 15 March 2024
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Statistics
- As of 15 March 2024
Most runs
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Most wickets
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
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References
External links
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