Quetta Gladiators have officially named former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson as the head coach for the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9, marking the franchise’s first coaching change since the tournament’s inception.
This move follows the transition of former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan from the coaching role to the position of team director after serving as coach for eight years.
In the initial four seasons of the PSL, Quetta Gladiators demonstrated exceptional consistency, reaching the final three times and clinching the championship in 2019. Shane Watson, a key figure in the team since his arrival in 2018 from Islamabad United, played a crucial role in their success. His three-season tenure (2018-2020) established him as arguably the Gladiators’ most impactful overseas player. Notably, Watson was the top-scorer for the team in 2019, amassing 430 runs at a strike rate of 143.81, earning him the well-deserved Player of the Tournament title.
Despite the earlier successes, Quetta Gladiators have faced a downturn in the last four seasons, failing to secure a playoff spot. This period coincided with Moin Khan’s coaching tenure and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy. The team, now under new leadership, aims to rediscover its winning formula.
Shane Watson, now 42 and retired from all forms of cricket in 2020, ventured into coaching, initially joining the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals as an assistant coach in 2022 alongside his former Australia teammate Ricky Ponting. Subsequently, he assumed the role of head coach for the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket earlier this year.
