Quetta Gladiators will be desperate to make it into the top four in PSL 9 (Source: x.com)
The action in PSL 2024 will stay at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the second match of the edition. The Quetta Gladiators will be up against the Peshawar Zalmis for this game.
Before the match, we look deeper into the Quetta Gladiators side.
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 9
Batters: Rilee Rossouw, Jason Roy, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali Jr., Omair Yousuf, Will Smeed, Khawaja Nafay, Bismillah Khan, Laurie Evans.
All-rounders: Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Wanindu Hasaranga.
Bowlers: Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Qadir, Adil Naz, Akeal Hosein, Sohail Khan.
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Strength of Quetta Gladiators
An all-base covered squad
A look at the Quetta Gladiators' squad will show that they have covered most of their bases. They batters like Rilee Rossouw, Will Smeed, Shaud Shakeel, Jason Roy, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Laurie Evans. There is depth and variety in this department.
In the case of spinners, they have Wanindu Hasaranga, Abrar Ahmed, Akeal Hosein and Usman Qadir. So their middle-over bowling also looks sorted. Mohammad Amir, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and Sohail Khan will be responsible for the pace bowling. Thus, all the departments have plenty of depth and flexibility.
Weaknesses of Quetta Gladiators
Lack of experience in the leadership role
The South African batter, Rilee Rossouw, will be seen leading the team. This might be a concern for the team as an overseas player with not much experience of the conditions will lead them. Also, there is a lack of experienced leaders in the squad who can help him in his job. A lot will depend on the inputs given by Mohammad Amir.
Lack of proper death bowlers
The Gladiators have good depth, flexibility and variety in the bowling department. Yet, it seems like there is a lack of proper death-over specialists. The likes of Amir, Rutherford, and Wasim are more of starters or middle-over bowlers. In the spin department, Usman Qadir and Abrar Ahmed can allow the cushion in the middle-overs. Only Akeal Hosein has some bowling experience in the last few overs. So, Rossouw will have to work with make-shift death bowlers Amir, Wasim and Hosein and hope they make full use of their experience and do the job for him.
Opportunity for Quetta Gladiators
Punching above their weight
The Gladiators have consistently underperformed in the last four years. This edition will allow them to perform better and improve on their finishes in the previous four seasons.
Threat for Quetta Gladiators
Over-dependency on overseas batters
The Quetta Gladiators batting will depend significantly on Rossouw, Jason Roy, Laurie Evans, and even Sherfane Rutherford. The availabilities and form of these overseas players will be crucial to their chances in the tournament. With Shaud Shakeel and Sarfaraz Ahmed the only experienced Pakistani batters in the squad, watching how the Gladiator's management works out the strategies will be interesting.
Squad Rating - 6.5/10
Prediction of Quetta Gladiators for PSL 2024
The Quetta Gladiators have put together a decent squad ahead of the ninth PSL edition. But given the competition in the tournament and the team composition of the other competitors, it will be difficult for the Gladiators to get past the group stage once more. A top four finish will be the best they can achieve.
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