Quetta Gladiators remove Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain ahead of 2024 PSL season – Reports

Quetta Gladiators have reportedly decided to remove Sarfaraz Ahmed as their captain ahead of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season. According to Geo News, owner Nadeem Omar said that Ahmed wants to take a break from his leadership role, and head coach Shane Watson and the team management will decide the new skipper.

Nadeem told Geo News:

"Sarfaraz wants to take a break from captaincy, with new head coach Shane Watson set to decide who will lead the side after consulting with the team management.”

Sarfaraz is the most successful captain in the PSL in terms of number of matches won. The wicketkeeper-batter has led Quetta Gladiators to 38 wins in 80 matches. Under his leadership, Quetta played in three finals. They clinched their first-ever trophy in 2019.

As a player, the right-handed batter has amassed 1503 runs in 68 innings at a strike rate of 123.80, including seven half-centuries. He has inflicted 49 dismissals, including 11 stumpings and 38 catches.

South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw and Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel are reportedly the two leading contenders to replace Sarfaraz as the new captain.

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Quetta Gladiators' 2024 PSL squad

Rilee Rossouw (Platinum), Mohammad Wasim, Jason Roy, Wanindu Hasaranga (all Diamond), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain (all Gold), Mohammad Amir, Will Smeed (Silver) Saud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali, Usman Qadir, Adil Naz, Khawaja Nafay, Akeal Hosein, Sohail Khan, Omair Yousuf, Sherfane Rutherford, Bismillah Khan (partial replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga), Sufiyan Muqeem.

PSL 2024 will be played from February 17 to March 18. The tournament will be played across four cities – Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore, and Karachi.

It will be held in two legs, with Multan and Lahore set to host 14 matches from February 17 to 27. The second leg will take place in Rawalpindi, where 16 matches will be played from February 28 to March 12. The playoffs and the final will then take place in Karachi.

Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will lock horns with Islamabad United in the opener on February 17. Quetta Gladiators will begin their campaign against Peshawar Zalmi at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 18. All the six teams will play 10 league matches before the playoffs.