Tag: quetta gladiators

  • Here is what you need to know about PSL 7 draft, schedule

    Here is what you need to know about PSL 7 draft, schedule

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition will begin on January 27, 2022, with the draft to be held on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour in March-April, will have the final take place on February 27.

    “Following an opening ceremony, defending champions Multan Sultans will take on hosts and 2020 champions Karachi Kings at the National Stadium with the first ball to be bowled at 7pm” on January 27, a PCB press release said, adding that 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators would go toe to toe with 2017 winners Peshawar Zalmi the following day.

    “After Karachi, which will host 15 matches from January 27 to February 7, action will shift to the Gaddafi Stadium where the remaining 15 league matches and the four play-offs will be played from February 10-27,” the PCB said.

    It will be the first time since 2017 when the headquarters of Pakistan cricket will host the PSL final.

    The National Stadium in Karachi had staged the league’s finals from 2018 to 2020, while Abu Dhabi was the venue for the 2021 final, where Multan Sultans defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs.

    Speaking on the matter, PCB Chairperson Ramiz Raja said: “I am delighted that the HBL PSL 7 schedule has been announced. This will now get the ball rolling with the teams to start planning and finalising their line-ups and the PCB increasing the pace of the operational delivery to ensure they provide quality playing facilities for the players as well as a five-star experience to the fans and our valued commercial partners.”

    “The HBL PSL 7 will also kickstart what will be a bumper year for Pakistan cricket with the Australia men’s cricket team to play a full series in March-April with England men’s cricket side to tour Pakistan twice for white-ball and red-ball cricket,” Raja added.

    Player draft

    According to the press release, the PCB has decided to hold the player draft for the league at its National High Performance Centre in Lahore on December 12.

    “Each side will come to the draft with a maximum of eight-player retentions from the last event,” it further stated. “Following the finalisation of player categories, the transfer and retention window is now officially open and will close on December 10.”

    According to the press release, Lahore Qalandars will have the first pick in the Platinum category, Diamond category, Gold category and Emerging category, Peshawar Zalmi will have the first pick in the Silver category, and Quetta Gladiators will have the first pick in the Supplementary category.

    Local players’ category renewals

    The press release said the PCB, after a review and assessment process, had updated local players’ categories.

    “In the biggest moves, Pakistan wicketkeeper/batter and Multan Sultan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan (previously Silver), Asif Ali of Islamabad United (previously Gold) and Lahore Qalandars’ Haris Rauf (previously Diamond) have been placed in Platinum Category.”

    Moreover, Multan Sultans’ Sohaib Maqsood, who was named the Player of HBL PSL’s sixth edition, and Haider Ali of Peshawar Zalmi have moved up from Silver and Gold categories to Diamond category, respectively.

    Schedule for matches in Karachi:

    • Jan 27: Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans

    • Jan 28: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Jan 29: Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars; Karachi Kings vsQuetta Gladiators

    • Jan 30: Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United; Karachi Kings vsLahore Qalandars

    • Jan 31: Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 1: Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 2: Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars

    • Feb 3: Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad United

    • Feb 4: Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 5: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars; Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 6: Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United

    • Feb 7: Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars

    Schedule for matches in Lahore:

    • Feb 10: Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 11: Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans

    • Feb 12: Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators

    • Feb 13: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings; Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators

    • Feb 14: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings

    • Feb 15: Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators

    • Feb 16: Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings

    • Feb 17: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 18: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators; Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings

    • Feb 19: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United

    • Feb 20: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans vsIslamabad United

    • Feb 21: Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi

    • Feb 23: Qualifier (1 vs 2)

    • Feb 24: Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4)

    • Feb 25: Eliminator 2 (Loser Qualifier 1 vs Winner Eliminator 1)

    • Feb 27: (Qualifier v Eliminator 2) Final

  • Shahid Afridi reportedly to play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022

    Shahid Afridi reportedly to play for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022

    Pakistan’s former captain Shahid Afridi will reportedly be playing for Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators. Nadeem Omar, who is the owner of the Quetta Gladiators, had confirmed the same.

    Read More – ‘The problem I have with Shahid [Afridi]…’, Shoaib Akhtar tells all

    Earlier in June, Afridi, who has played for Omar’s Galle Gladiators in Sri Lanka Premier League (SPL), had himself stated that he would like to be a part of the Quetta Gladiators franchise in his last PSL season in 2022. And, this news was even confirmed by Azam Khan, who is the manager of the Quetta Gladiators.

    “If the franchise [Multan Sultans] releases me, I will prefer to represent the Quetta Gladiators in my last season,” Afridi had said in an interview. You can also see a tweet about Shahid Afridi playing for the Quetta Gladiators below.

    The player draft for the 2022 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will take place in the second week of December. But then, the manager of the Multan Sultans and COO, Haider Azhar has revealed that Afridi being released by the franchise has not been confirmed as of now.

    Afridi has played 50 matches in the PSL and has scalped 44 wickets. With the bat, Afridi has smashed 465 runs in his PSL career. He has played with Multan Sultans in the last season and spent two seasons at Peshawar Zalmi and one at Karachi Kings. If he shifts to Gladiators, it will be his fourth team in the league.

  • Is Shahid Afridi replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed as Quetta Gladiators skipper next PSL?

    Is Shahid Afridi replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed as Quetta Gladiators skipper next PSL?

    Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar on Tuesday said that the previous Pakistan team Captain Shahid Afridi disclosed to him that he would join his Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise for the seventh period of the tournament.

    Read More – Afridi-led Rawalakot Hawks crowned champions of KPL 2021

    “Shahid Afridi has also remained a part of the Galle Gladiators (a team which Omar owns as well) in the Lankan Premier League,” the franchise owner told Geo News.

    Omar said former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed is the incumbent captain, but if he were to voluntarily step down, “we can appoint Afridi in his place”.

    “In technique, Sarfaraz is number one,” Omar added.

    Quetta Gladiators’ dream of winning a second PSL title was snuffed out last month after they crashed out of the tournament after the Multan Sultans defeated them.

    The Sarfaraz-led side did not perform well in PSL 6, winning only two of the 10 matches they played in the tournament — finishing at the bottom of the points table.

  • What went wrong for Lahore Qalandars?

    What went wrong for Lahore Qalandars?

    Positioned at top of the points table after five wins in six matches, Lahore Qalandars seemed strong frontrunners to clinch the elusive PSL trophy. At one stage, it even appeared that the sixth time might finally be the charm for them. Even Aqib Javed, Qalandars’ head coach, went a step further and billed Qalandars as the favourites to win the tournament in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

    Much to the chagrin of their fans, Qalandars squandered the impressive start and it all went downhill for them from there onwards. In the next four matches, they suffered four losses, which saw them getting stormed out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six editions.

    This column attempts to shed light on and assess what went wrong for Qalandars this time around

    1. Misfiring top order

    Irrespective of whether a team is batting first or second, the top order holds the onus to provide a solid foundation. While Qalandars’ top 3 batsmen fared decently during the home games, they could not get going in the Abu Dhabi leg of the tournament. Before the tournament had to be moved from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi, Qalandars had played four games where their top 3 batsmen scored a total of 356 runs averaging 89 runs per game. In the Abu Dhabi leg of the tournament, Qalandars’ top 3 could muster a meager 289 across six innings averaging just over 48 runs per game.

    2. Decisions at the toss

    It cannot be denied that toss plays a crucial role in the outcome of a match. In the Pakistan leg of the tournament, Qalandars registered three wins in four games with all of the wins coming when Qalandars opted to bowl first after winning the toss. In the match against Multan Sultans where they batted first, they ended up losing by seven wickets, which indicates that chasing is not their strong suit. However, with the change in conditions from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi, Qalandars’ batsmen found even chasing par scores an uphill task. In the three consecutive losses against Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators, and Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars batted second. Inexplicably, in their last league game against Multan Sultans where a win would have ensured Qalandars a spot in the playoffs, skipper Sohail Akhtar opted to chase again. The move backfired again as Qalandars were bundled out for 89 in reply to Sultan’s 169.

    3. Shoddy death bowling

    While Shaheen and Faulkner regularly provided good starts with the new ball, Qalandar’s death bowling was not up to the mark in the Abu Dhabi leg of the tournament. In overs 16-20 in losses against Islamabad, Quetta, Karachi, and Multan, Qalandars conceded 36 (9 runs per over), 38 (9.5 runs per over), 44 (11 runs per over), and 38 (9.5 runs per over) respectively. While it is their batting that is the main headache, Qalandars need to make sure that their bowlers continue their good impact from the powerplay and middle overs into the death overs heading into the next edition. Every cloud goes the saying, has a silver lining. Similarly, despite not being able to advance into the playoffs, Qalandars can take some positives particularly from the individual performances of the quartet of Rashid Khan, Tim David, James Faulkner, and Shaheen Afridi who gave a good account of themselves. Not being able to make it into the playoffs for five times in six editions despite having eminent T20 players in the ranks cries out for sweeping changes on multiple fronts and Qalandars need to ensure that they make these sweeping changes in their system before the seventh edition kicks off if they want the seventh time to be a charm for them.

  • Andre Russell, Martin Guptill among lead names joining PSL6 in June

    Andre Russell, Martin Guptill among lead names joining PSL6 in June

    Andre Russell and Martin Guptill are leading the names among others signed by Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises for the competition’s resumption in June.

    In an online session held last evening, franchise representatives submitted names of the players they picked as replacements of those unavailable to feature in the upcoming matches.

    West Indies allrounder Russell will join Quetta Gladiators in the absence of England international batsman Tom Banton. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill has been picked by Karachi Kings, while Bangladesh allrounder Shakib al Hasan was selected by Lahore Qalandars. Australia’s Usman Khawaja was Islamabad’s pick to replace Alex Hales. Another fascinating pick by IU is South African player Janneman Malan.

    According to details, a total of 19 overseas players were chosen in the replacement draft, with three teams – Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta and Islamabad United reserving one further selection each, to be used at a later date.

    Most of the overseas players, who were around for the first set of games before the postponement, are missing for one reason or another. The English players are going to be busy with the Vitality Blast T20 tournament. Some others are on national duty. As a result, there was a mini draft, where the teams had to pick from 134 players, from Australia (10), New Zealand (12), South Africa (18), Bangladesh (7), West Indies (25), Sri Lanka (24), Zimbabwe (6), Afghanistan (16), Ireland (5), UAE (5), Scotland (4), Nepal (1) and Oman (1)

    https://twitter.com/HBLPSL6Official/status/1387315812059525121?s=19

    The PSL 6 was postponed after 14 matches on March 4 this year after a Covid-19 outbreak was reported in the tournament’s bio-secure bubble. The remaining 20 matches of the sixth edition will now be played at Karachi’s National Stadium from June 1-20.

    Read more – PCB books 300-room hotel in Karachi for PSL6

    FULL LIST OF PSL 2021 REPLACEMENT DRAFT PICKS

    Islamabad United: Usman Khawaja replaces Alex Hales, Janneman Malan replaces Lewis Gregory

    Karachi Kings: Martin Guptill replaces Colin Ingram, Thisara Perera replaces Mohammad Nabi, Najeebullah Zadran replaces Dan Christian, Litton Das replaces Joe Clarke

    Lahore Qalandars: Shakib al Hasan replaces Rashid Khan, James Faulkner replaces David Wiese, Joe Burns replaces Samit Patel, Callum Ferguson replaces Tom Abell, Seekkuge Prasana replaces Joe Denly

    Multan Sultans: Mahmudullah replaces Chris Lynn, Rahmanullah Gurbaz replaces James Vince, George Linde replaces Adam Lyth, Obed McCoy replaces Carlos Brathwaite

    Peshawar Zalmi: Fabian Allen replaces Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rovman Powell replaces Liam Livingstone, Fidel Edwards replaces Saqib Mahmood

    Quetta Gladiators: Andre Russell replaces Tom Banton

    Meanwhile, Malan found out what ‘Janneman’ means in Urdu – sweetheart – and he aspires to become a janneman to all Pakistanis with his performances.

    “Excited to join Islamabad United. Heard so many great things about the franchise,” said Malan. “I just found out what Janneman means in Urdu. I wish to be janneman to all Pakistanis with my performances in the PSL.”

    Usman Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan, also expressed his excitement, saying: “Pretty excited to be joining Islamabad United. I have played everywhere in the subcontinent except where I was actually born. So for me, this means a little bit more.”

    “Can’t wait,” he added.

    Commenting under his tweet, England player Sam Billings encouraged the cricketer, saying: “Great franchise, go well brother.”

  • Dale Steyn says PSL is ‘more rewarding’ than IPL

    Dale Steyn says PSL is ‘more rewarding’ than IPL

    Former South African pacer Dale Steyn, who is playing for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing sixth edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is less rewarding compared to other leagues in the world.

    Speaking to an online publication, Steyn said that cricket gets forgotten, amid money talks, in the IPL which is why he decided to skip the last season.

    “I wanted some time off. I found that playing in these other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to IPL, there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on maybe the amount of money players earn and everything like that, so sometimes, somewhere down the line, cricket gets forgotten,” said Steyn.

    “When you come to like a PSL or the Sri Lankan Premier League (SPL), for that matter, there is an importance on the cricket. I have only been here for a couple of days and I have had people in and out of my room, just wanting to know about where I have played and how I went about it. Whereas, when I go to something like IPL that gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money did you go for in this IPL?”

    “That’s just me being brutally honest,” he added.

    “I wanted to stay away from that and really put more emphasis on playing and bringing good vibes to good cricket teams and tournaments I feel are worth it,” said the cricket star.

    Read more – Daren Sammy recalls being called ‘kalu’ by Indian cricketers during IPL

    Steyn also praised the “breeding machine” of Pakistan’s fast bowlers and called Babar Azam “a wonderful player”.

    “There is a breeding machine of fast bowlers here in Pakistan, which is great to see because the wickets are not conducive to fast bowlers,” said the South African great. “I had a chat with Shaheen [Afridi] last year – I think he broke his thumb. He was down but he was amazing. At Melbourne Stars, I had Haris Rauf with me, and I was really impressed by him. Not long after that, he played for Pakistan.”

    “Babar is a great player and it would be a great opportunity to get him out or bowl against him. But you never know, I might not get to bowl against him because it’s only four overs or he might get out for a duck. But he’s been fantastic [in] the last couple of years,” said Steyn.

    Meanwhile, Indians are not happy with Steyn’s statement and are criticising him on social media.

    https://twitter.com/jokn17611521/status/1366721056812113922?s=20

    https://twitter.com/svnvdr08/status/1366720983667597316?s=20

    https://twitter.com/karthik_jammy/status/1366654766630137868?s=20

    According to Cricinfo, Steyn’s “career trajectory has coincided with the rise of the IPL and has seen him become one of the more prized assets for any IPL franchise, and has consistently seen heavy competition for his signature. The highest auction price for the fast bowler came in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015, when Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 9.5 crore (approx. USD 1.3 million today). He has taken 97 IPL wickets at 6.91, making him, by some distance, the most economical fast bowler among players with over 50 wickets in the league.”

  • Islamabad vs Quetta match delayed after player tests positive

    Islamabad vs Quetta match delayed after player tests positive

    Monday night’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Islamabad United (IU) and Quetta Gladiators (QG) has been delayed after legspinner Fawad Ahmed tested positive for COVID-19.

    Ahmed had reportedly shown symptoms two days ago and had been immediately isolated, his franchise Islamabad United said in an official statement. Other members of Islamabad United have returned negative tests while the Quetta Gladiators players are being tested.

    In an announcement, PCB said: “A player from one of the sides featuring in this evening’s match has tested positive. The player had shown symptoms two days ago and had been immediately isolated.”

    “Members of his side have tested negative while the players of the other side are being tested,” the tweet added.

    PCB also later confirmed the match will start after some delay at ‘9 pm’.

    Later, the official account PSL and IU also tweeted and confirmed the news, writing: “One of our players, Fawad Ahmed tested positive for Covid and was immediately put in isolation 2 days ago. All other Islamabad United players & members have tested negative & have been cleared to play.”

    “We wish Fawad a speedy recovery. Sherus are ready to roar tonight,” the tweet added.

    The game, which scheduled to begin at 7 pm local time, has been pushed back to 9 pm.

    Fawad also took to Twitter and wrote: “Thanks for all the kind messages, please keep remember me in ur prayers, much needed raising hands IU and PSL, and please everyone stay safe.”

    PCB later announced that the match is rescheduled for Tuesday, March 2 at 7 pm. The match is rescheduled to ensure players from both sides get time to prepare for the game.

    The good news for the spectators who bought the tickets for tonight is that their tickets will be valid for tomorrow’s game as well.

  • VIDEO: Chris Gayle ties a shalwar in two minutes

    VIDEO: Chris Gayle ties a shalwar in two minutes

    West Indian Cricketer Chris Gayle, renowned for his jolly and fun-loving personality, recently took the ‘Shalwar Challenge’ in a video shared by the official accounts of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    https://twitter.com/thePSLt20/status/1364914438109876225?s=20

    Though the legendary cricketer accepted the challenge, he was surprised by the width of the shalwar’s waistband.

    “What? Whose waist is this?” questioned Gayle upon seeing the shalwar.

    As he puts the drawstring in the shalwar, he continues to express his shock at the width of its waistband.

    “This person eats too much,” remarks Gayle. “I don’t know what this person has been eating. [Is this] extra large? It’s gotta be a joke.”

    He goes on to say that the person for whom the shalwar was stitched should “stay away from meat,” and “should be a proper vegan”.

    The clip also shows some funny bloopers wherein the Universe Boss could be seen struggling to wear the shalwar and getting help from other people.

    At the end of the video, Gayle wears the shalwar, without pulling the drawstring, and bursts into laughter.

    Read more – Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting and PSL presenter Erin Holland tie the knot

    Earlier, the 41-year-old cricketer who was excited to be in Pakistan for the first time in 15 years, said that he’s eager to score runs for his new PSL franchise, Quetta Gladiators, and show the fans what he is and what they missed in all these years. After scoring 68 runs off just 44 deliveries against Lahore Qalandars, he also treated audiences to his googly dance.

    Later Quetta Gladiators also shared Gayle’s famous googly dance on their social media platforms.

  • Gwadar stadium to host cricket match between Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings

    Gwadar stadium to host cricket match between Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings

    Gwadar Cricket Stadium is all set to host a cricket match between Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise teams Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings on March 25, Fakhr-e-Alam announced on Monday.

    The TV host-singer shared the news in a video posted on his official Twitter account. “I want to break the news that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially informed the Government of Balochistan that it wants to organize a match between Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings on March 25, right after PSL ends,” Alam said in the video.

    “Congratulations to everyone who wanted this to happen. There can’t be better news for cricket fans, for me and for people of Balochistan.”

    The 45-year-old added that initially he wanted an official PSL 2021 match to be played at the venue but because the stadium doesn’t meet the standards set by International Cricket Council (ICC) and PCB, it was difficult to arrange the fixture.

    Alam was grateful to PCB and the owners of the two franchises for their support and willingness in playing a match at Gwadar Stadium, which was in the headlines recently for its striking beauty.

    “I want to thank PCB: Wasim Khan, thank you very much,” he said. “Both the franchises – Nadeem Omar and Salman Iqbal, thank you guys for doing this,” the host added.

    Earlier on Friday, the stadium held its first exhibition match between Gwadar Dolphins and Showbiz Sharks on Friday as a tribute to late mountaineer Ali Sadpara.

    Alam also showed his confidence in the provincial government saying Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal is a “very dynamic and progressive” man and that he’ll successfully arrange the match.

    Later, when a sports journalist, Ihtisham Ul Haq, tweeted about the news that Karachi will play against Quetta on March 25 in the Gwadar Stadium, KK owner Salman Iqbal confirmed the news and said, “Insha Allah.”

    Meanwhile, CM Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan shared Fakhar’s video on Twitter and said: “Inshallah this shall be fully facilitated.”

    “Its Mashallah good to see Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings to play in Gwader. This shall be good for Balochistan cricket, youth and Gwader….And, for Cricket in Pakistan,” he added.

  • Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting and PSL presenter Erin Holland tie the knot

    Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting and PSL presenter Erin Holland tie the knot

    Days before the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) is set to commence, Quetta Gladiators’ Ben Cutting has tied the knot with PSL presenter and former Miss World Australia Erin Holland.

    The couple announced the news on social media, sharing beautiful pictures of their beachside wedding.

    “Official Wifey,” wrote Cutting in the caption.

    Quetta Gladiators also congratulated the couple, saying: “Wishing you two a lifetime of love and happiness! Congratulations Mr and Mrs Ben Cutting.”

    The all-rounder and his girlfriend, had announced their engagement two years ago. The couple’s wedding had to be postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Holland also posted pictures of her big day on her Instagram. 

    The ceremony was followed by a reception in evening.

    Check out more pictures from the celebrations below:

    The wedding venue