Saud Shakeel Babar Azam for Pakistan. Image Credits: X
In a significant development, Quetta Gladiators have appointed Saud Shakeel as their captain ahead of the Pakistan Super League 2026 season. This decision marks a fresh chapter for the franchise, with Shakeel set to lead the Gladiators for the second consecutive season.
The star player, who has represented Pakistan in both Test and ODI cricket, took over the reins from Rilee Rossouw for PSL 2024.
Saud Shakeel's leadership and performance in PSL
Saud Shakeel has already established himself as one of the most dependable players for Quetta Gladiators. In his debut season, Shakeel scored 323 runs in 10 matches at an average of 35.88 and a strike rate of 141.66, including two half-centuries.
Overall, Shakeel has played 22 matches in the PSL, scoring 560 runs at an average of 31.11 and a strike rate of 130.23.
His T20 career also includes 1,392 runs in 66 matches at an average of 25.30 and a strike rate of 129.48. It is also worth noting that under Saud Shakeel's captaincy, Quetta Gladiators reached the PSL 2025 final.
Saud Shakeel’s Salary for PSL 2026
In the PSL 2026 auction, Shakeel was bought for PKR 65 lakh (INR 21.04 lakh). His leadership, combined with his ability to score, will be crucial for Quetta Gladiators as they look to go one step further than last year and clinch the PSL 2026 title.
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The Quetta Gladiators' Squad for 2026
The Quetta Gladiators have made some key changes to their squad, retaining a mix of experienced players and talented newcomers.
In the Platinum category of Gladiators, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir and Abrar Ahmed were considered. In the Diamond category, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq were included.
Meanwhile, the Gold category consisted of Khurram Shahzad, Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Hassan Nawaz and Danish Aziz.
Ali Majid was the only player listed in the Silver category. In the Emerging category, Mohammad Zeeshan and Shamyl Hussain were picked.
From this pool of players, the Gladiators confirmed their retained picks for the new season. The franchise decided to keep Abrar Ahmed in the Platinum category. Usman Tariq was retained from the Diamond category, while Hassan Nawaz secured his place from the Gold category.
In the Emerging category, the team chose to retain Shamyl Hussain. However, the Gladiators opted not to retain any player from the Silver category.
New Beginnings for PSL 2026
PSL 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark season for the tournament. With the introduction of two new teams and a move from a draft system to a player auction, this year's edition promises to deliver exciting cricket.
The league will run from March 26 to May 3, 2026, and will feature eight teams competing for the prestigious PSL trophy.
Among these, Quetta Gladiators enter as the defending runners-up of PSL 2025, where they lost to Lahore Qalandars in a thrilling final by just 6 wickets on the final ball.
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