Quetta Gladiators is a Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise owned by Omar Associates, which has emerged as one of the leading names as far as sports promotion in Pakistan is concerned.
Under the leadership of Managing Director Nadeem Omar, Omar Associates has helped and honoured the cricketers, footballers, hockey players, snooker cueists and other sportsmen of the country.
Apart from promotional activities, Omar Associates owns a grade-II team, while it also has a women’s team to support the emerging female cricketers of Pakistan.
Top players of the world would play for Gladiators, which include England’s superstar Kevin Pietersen and Luke Wright, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara, Zimbabwean skipper Elton Chigumbura and Afghanisan’s hero Mohammad Nabi. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s very own stars Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Shafiq, Bilal Asif and Aizaz Cheema are part of the side as well.
Legendary Sir Vivian Richards of the West Indies has been appointed as the mentor, while 1992 World Cup winner Moin Khan is head coach of the side.
The track record of the side is unparallel when it comes to T20 tournament titles in Ramzan Cricket, as Omar Associates have often clean-swept at the major events of Ramzan cricket with players like Sarfraz, Anwar, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Nasir Jamshed, Shafiq, Zulfiqar, Saad Naseem and others regularly playing for the side.
When Mohammad Amir was allowed to return to domestic cricket by the International Cricket Council, it was Omar Associates which provided him the platform for his re-integration into professional cricket.
Omar Associates has made stars by nurturing them right from the club level by patronizing two of the best clubs of Pakistan — Pakistan Cricket Club (PCC) and Alamgir Gymkhana.
There has not been a single Pakistan team of any level in last six to seven years that did not have a player of Omar Associates, and this policy will continue with Quetta Gladiators as well, with an aim of bringing out the best talent of Balochistan to the world.
Quetta Gladiators Players Names
Omar Associates buy Quetta franchise in PSL
KARACHI: Renowned sports promoter and managing director of Omar Associates, Nadeem Omar, acquired the rights of Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) Quetta franchise for a 10-year period at $1.1m per year as the five franchises of the country’s first ever premier T20 league were sold at $93 million.
As many as seven parties qualified for the financial bidding war after their technical proposals were accepted by the PSL Governing Council.
Those in the running were Omar Associates, Haier, ARY Group, Mobilink, Arif Habib Group, Leonine Global and Qatar oil company QALCO.
Omar Associates initially battled for the rights of Karachi franchise, which was eventually sold as the most expensive team to ARY Group for $26 million for 10 years.
Competing with Nadeem for the largest fan base were ARY’s Salman Iqbal and Arif Habib, with Omar Associates going as high as $2.5 million annually, which matched Arif Habib’s bid. However, it was ARY who pipped them by bidding $2.6 million per year.
Nadeem eventually ended up buying the Quetta franchise at $11m for 10 years.
“Quetta is here to stay and we’ll build a very good team which will compete for the title right from the first year,” said Nadeem after buying the team. “We’ll put Team Quetta on the map and it will emerge as a powerhouse in the PSL with the best players in the entire league.”
As far as the other teams are concerned, QALCO won the rights for Lahore at $2.51 million per year, while Islamabad was bought by Leonine Global for $1.6 million per year and Peshawar’s rights were won by Haier’s Javed Afridi for $1.6 million.
The first edition of the PSL will take place from February 4-23 in Dubai and Sharjah with top players of the world taking part in the tournament.
As many as seven parties qualified for the financial bidding war after their technical proposals were accepted by the PSL Governing Council.
Those in the running were Omar Associates, Haier, ARY Group, Mobilink, Arif Habib Group, Leonine Global and Qatar oil company QALCO.
Omar Associates initially battled for the rights of Karachi franchise, which was eventually sold as the most expensive team to ARY Group for $26 million for 10 years.
Competing with Nadeem for the largest fan base were ARY’s Salman Iqbal and Arif Habib, with Omar Associates going as high as $2.5 million annually, which matched Arif Habib’s bid. However, it was ARY who pipped them by bidding $2.6 million per year.
Nadeem eventually ended up buying the Quetta franchise at $11m for 10 years.
“Quetta is here to stay and we’ll build a very good team which will compete for the title right from the first year,” said Nadeem after buying the team. “We’ll put Team Quetta on the map and it will emerge as a powerhouse in the PSL with the best players in the entire league.”
As far as the other teams are concerned, QALCO won the rights for Lahore at $2.51 million per year, while Islamabad was bought by Leonine Global for $1.6 million per year and Peshawar’s rights were won by Haier’s Javed Afridi for $1.6 million.
The first edition of the PSL will take place from February 4-23 in Dubai and Sharjah with top players of the world taking part in the tournament.