The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 is all set to begin on April 11, and the Quetta Gladiators are looking to start fresh with a new captain, Saud Shakeel. The calm and talented left-handed batter will be leading a new-look team that wants to leave behind the ups and downs of the past few seasons. The tournament will begin with a big match between Islamabad United, the defending champions, and Lahore Qalandars, who have won the title twice.

In the league stage, each of the six teams will play 10 matches, facing every other team twice in a double round-robin format. After the group stage, the top four teams will move on to the Playoffs, which will take place from May 13 to May 18. The Gladiators will kick off their season against Peshawar Zalmi. With Saud Shakeel as captain, the Quetta Gladiators are hoping for a change in fortunes in the 10th season of PSL.

Saud Shakeel Known for his calmness under pressure and making smart decisions in tough situations, Shakeel has become an important player in Pakistan’s Test team. Now, he’ll look to lead from the front in the PSL Quetta Gladiators team, both with the bat and with his leadership. The Quetta Gladiators have a good mix of experienced players and exciting young players in the 10th season of PSL.

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Finn Allen brings power-hitting at the top order for Quetta Gladiators, and Rilee Rossouw and Kusal Mendis add strength in the middle order for Quetta Gladiators. In the bowling, spinner Abrar Ahmad and Akeal Hosein will be key bowlers, especially in the slower pitches. All in all, Quetta looks ready for a promising season in the 10 seasons of PSL.

Quetta Gladiators' strongest playing XI

Finn Allen is a right-handed opening batter known for his fearless hitting in the powerplay. He's expected to give Quetta fast starts by attacking early and making the most of field restrictions. Even quick-fire innings of 30–40 runs at a high strike rate can shift the momentum in just a few overs.

Saud Shakeel (c) is a control and calm batter to the top order in the team. While others go big, his role is to hold things together, keep the scoreboard ticking, and guide the innings. He’s there to anchor, rotate the strike, and make sure the team doesn’t lose quick wickets.

Rilee Rossouw is a left-handed middle-order batter known for his quick scoring in the tough times, and if the team needs, he can play according to the situation. He’s the kind of player who can turn a game around, especially in the middle overs. With his experience, he’s expected to keep the pressure on the opposition team and guide the team in tight situations.

Khawaja Nafay is a right-handed batter with solid technique and quick hands. As Quetta’s uncapped pick, he has a big chance to make a name for himself. He’ll be expected to play smartly in the middle overs, keep the runs ticking, and chip in with a few big shots when needed. A strong showing could lift both his team and his career.

Kusal Mendis (wk) is a right-handed batter and wicketkeeper known for his mass stroke-play in the middle of the game. In the middle order, he can play steady innings or go big when the team needs, depending on the situation. With the gloves, he’ll play a key role in keeping.

Faheem Ashraf is a left-handed batter and right-arm pace all-rounder who brings balance to the team in this 10th season. He can smash quick runs at the end and he can bowl if the team needs. Whether it’s steadying the innings or picking up key wickets, Faheem is a handy option in pressure moments.

Mohammad Wasim Jr is a right-arm fast-bowling all-rounder with extreme pace and a fearless attitude in tough situations. He’s the team’s key bowler. He will able to bowl at any point and take crucial wickets. With the bat, he’s a powerful hitter who can finish games and turn the tide in close chases.

Akeal Hosein is a left-arm spinner who bowls tight lengths in crucial times, especially in the powerplay overs. He’s known for his accuracy and smart variations in every game, making it hard for batters to score freely, whether it’s early wickets or excellent spells in crucial over.

Mohammad Amir is a Left-arm Fast bowler, a master of swing and variations. Mohammad Amir brings both experience and skill to the bowling. With his ability to move the new ball sharply, he is expected to open the attack and bowl two incisive overs early on, targeting quick breakthroughs.

Abrar Ahmad is a crucial player in the middle overs for his team, especially with his right-arm mystery spin. His role is specifically designed to bowl tight and get the opposition in trouble by picking key wickets in the middle overs, thereby preventing the batting side from building partnerships.

Mohammad Zeeshan brings extreme pace and natural bounce to his team. By using his height, he can generate pace and bounce, making life difficult for batters. As a local youngster, Zeeshan is expected to bowl with intensity and aggression. If utilized effectively as a first-change or death-over bowler, he has the potential to surprise many with his sharp bounce and pinpoint accuracy.

Quetta Gladiators Probable XI:

Finn Allen, Saud Shakeel (c), Rilee Rossouw, Khawaja Nafay, Kusal Mendis (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmad, Mohammad Zeeshan

With the series hanging in the balance, both West Indies and India were poised for an enthralling contest. The series had witnessed a slew of exceptional individual displays, and the onus rested on the players to excel in the decisive match. Amidst several standout performances, such as Surya Kumar Yadav’s splendid 61, Pooran’s swift and impactful 47, and Shepard’s astute execution in the death overs, it was Akeal Hosein’s impactful spell and Brandon King’s impeccably paced innings that turned out to be pivotal. Their contributions culminated in West Indies clinching a historic triumph – their first-ever T20 bilateral series victory against India. This victory also signifies their first series win against India in a span of 17 years.

In the following article, we will assess Akeal Hosein’s pitch map to analyze his landing areas and delve into Brandon King’s repertoire of shots.

Akeal Hosein’s Powerplay Prowess

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While Romario Shepard, with his cunning variations picked up 4 wickets in the death overs, it was Akeal Hosein’s early wickets which were body blows for team India. The latter has been a common sight for the West Indies during powerplays, consistently showcasing his skills. He’s bagged 13 wickets at an economy of 8.1 in this phase, which is quite good. His strength lies in his arm ball, a delivery that moves in the air, playing with the batsmen’s minds, even though he doesn’t rely heavily on variations.

He generally bowled more to the right-handed batters, but he started off his spell against the left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal. He kept things very tight and bowled a stump-to-stump line. While he bowled a bit fuller initially, the batter was comfortable with this length. Hosein immediately changed his length and bowled it a bit shorter on the off stump to get some turn, which ultimately reaped the reward.

To the right handers, he focused more on the good length (42%) regions in order to generate a bit of turn and bounce. But he indeed possessed a wonderful variation with his lengths when he trapped Gill leg before wicket by bowling a slightly fullish length delivery, inducing him to the sweep shot. With respect to his variations, he bowled 9 arm balls and picked up his 2 wickets while he bowled 13 stock length deliveries with no wickets, but he maintained a firm grip on the scoring rate.

Brandon King’s impeccably paced knock

Brandon King has been a regular for West Indies in the last few years. He usually provides good starts, but he has issues in converting them into big scores. But his recent knock against India was a much-needed knock and it couldn’t have come at a better instance.

The graph above illustrates King’s shot selection throughout his innings, revealing a well-rounded array of strokes. Notably, his standout shot was the front foot drive, contributing around 31% of his total runs. Furthermore, he demonstrated competence in employing the front foot slog (15%) and exhibited an intent to advance down the track against spinners, resulting in approximately 17% of his runs being garnered through this approach.

While the majority of his shots were executed from a front-foot position, he also effectively employed back-foot play, accounting for nearly 25 percent of his total runs scored using this technique. Brandon King’s only challenge arose when facing the Chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, as he managed to accumulate just 5 runs from the 11 deliveries. This is an aspect which he will be aiming to address and improve upon in the future.