Quetta Gladiators have faced a major blow ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025. Head coach Shane Watson will not be part of the squad for the next edition of the league due to a change in the schedule of the tournament, which was between February and March every year.
This comes as a big surprise as Shane Watson has been associated with Quetta Gladiators for a long time. He played as a player for the team for a long time before taking the role of head coach of the team ahead of Pakistan Super League 2024.
Watson will not continue as head coach due to his pre-signed long-term contracts. The development was confirmed by Quetta Gladiators on their social media account, saying that the former Australian player has been a talisman for the team.
Quetta Gladiators Head Coach Shane Watson Will Not Be Able To Continue As Head Coach With The Franchise For HBL PSL Season 10 As The League Framework Has Been Changed – Franchise Statement
The statement read: “Quetta Gladiators head coach Shane Watson will not be able to continue as head coach with the franchise for HBL PSL Season 10 as the league window has changed, which will affect his pre-signed long-term contracts.
“Watson has been a talisman for the franchise as the Gladiators won the PSL title when he came to Pakistan as a player, while QG qualified for the play-off stage after four long years of waiting as soon as Watson took over the team.” .”
Quetta Gladiators will always be indebted to Shane Watson for his outstanding contribution both as a player and head coach – Franchise Owner Nadeem Omar
Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar also spoke about the development, saying they would be grateful for Watson’s contribution to the team. He also wished him luck in his future duties and said:
“Quetta Gladiators will always be indebted to Shane Watson for his outstanding contribution as both a player and head coach. Gladiators are known worldwide for certain superstars who have represented our franchise and Shane tops that list.
“We wish Shane all the best in his future endeavors and I have no doubt that he will be one of the most sought-after coaches in world cricket.”
📰 UPDATE ON SHANE WATSON 📰@ShaneRWatson33 unavailable to continue as head coach of Quetta Gladiators in HBLPSL10
We will miss Watt’s presence in the dugout QG @thePSLt20 matches.
Owner of Quetta Gladiator Mr. Nadeem Omar sent his best wishes to Shane… pic.twitter.com/vJxM6gn4XN
— Quetta Gladiators (@TeamQuetta) January 15, 2025
Shane Watson played a big role in Quetta Gladiators and Sarfaraz Ahmed is likely to be the head coach
Watson played a major role in Quetta Gladiators winning the PSL title 2019. He was the best with the bat as he scored 430 runs during the season to win the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award. Under his leadership last year, the team reached the playoffs, losing in the eliminator.
With Watson parting ways with the franchise, there have been several reports claiming that Quetta Gladiators are likely to hire Sarfaraz Ahmed as the coach. The hitter was not sold in the draft and will now take on the role of coach of the team.
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