Gulf Giants
Cricket team in UAE's ILT20
       T20 kit |
The Gulf Giants is a franchise cricket team that participates in the International League T20. It was one of the six teams that were announced for the inaugural season of the tournament.. It was founded in 2022, and the team is owned by Adani Group under its subsidiary Adani Sportsline, which also owns other sports teams like Gujarat Giants in PKL and Gujarat Giants in WPL.[1]
They were the champions of the first season of the tournament after they beat Desert Vipers by 7 wickets in the final at the Dubai International Stadium.[2][3] Giants are captained by English batter, James Vince.[4] Andy Flower was appointed head coach of the team ahead of its first season.[5]
Franchise history
In August 2022, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced the establishment of the International League T20, a Twenty20 Cricket competition to be started in 2023.The teams for the competition, representing 6 different cities of United Arab Emirates, including Dubai, were put up on auction in UAE on September 2022.The Gulf franchise was purchased was revealed that Adani Sportsline, led by Adani Group will be owning a team in the league. The team unveiled their logo and jersey in January 2023,through their social media handles.[6]
Team history
2022–23 season
Gulf Giants began their season with a match-up against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Thanks to Sanchit Sharma's spell of 3/9 and Chris Jordan's 3/28, Giants were able to restrict Knight Riders to a low total of 114/9 in their 20 overs. Giants were able to chase down this target in 14.2 overs, with James Vince scoring the first half-century for the team. He finished with 62(44).
They played their second match against Dubai Capitals, which they won by 6 wickets. Rehan Ahmed scalped three wickets and Vince top-scored with his knock of 83*(56). Giants went on to win their next two matches, until their winning streak was broken by Sharjah Warriors, who defeated them by 21 runs. This was the only match that Giants lost in the league stage.
Their next two league matches were abandoned due to rain. They won their eighth match against MI Emirates, with this win they qualified into the play-offs with still two matches to spare. Giants moved on to win their last two league matches, where David Wiese took the best bowling figures against Sharjah Warriors, his figures read 5/20 in his quota of 4 overs. Giants finished the league stage by topping the table with 16 points from 7 wins in 10 matches.
In the play-offs, Giants faced Desert Vipers in the Qualifier-1. Vipers defeated Giants by 19 runs to qualify for the final, and the Giants had to play Qualifier-2 in order to play in the final. They were matched up against MI Emirates in the Qualifier-2, courtesy Vince's brilliant knock of 83*(56), they won the match by 4 wickets. They faced Vipers in the final at the Dubai International Stadium, Vipers posted a total of 146/8 with Wanindu Hasaranga scoring a quickfire 55 off 27 balls and Carlos Brathwaite finished with figures 3/19, he scalped the wickets of Alex Hales, Sam Billings and Tom Curran, Qais Ahmad restricted the Vipers by taking the wicket of in form Hasaranga. In the second innings, Chris Lynn smashed an unbeaten 72 off 50 deliveries to help the team win the match and the tournament. Brathwaite was adjudged the player of the match in the final, Chris Jordan ended up winning the green belt for taking most wickets (20) in the tournament, and Vince finished the season as the second highest run-scorer with 439 runs in 11 matches.
Current squad
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||||
| James Vince |  England | (1991-03-14) 14 March 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | Captain |
| Chris Lynn |  Australia | (1990-04-10) 10 April 1990 (age 34) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | |
| Shimron Hetmyer |  West Indies | (1996-12-26) 26 December 1996 (age 27) | Left-handed | Right-arm off-spin | 2023 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| Aayan Afzal Khan |  United Arab Emirates | (2005-11-15) 15 November 2005 (age 18) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | |
| Carlos Brathwaite | West Indies | (1988-07-18) 18 July 1988 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Gerhard Erasmus |  Namibia | (1995-04-11) 11 April 1995 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2023 | |
| Jamie Overton | England | (1994-04-10) 10 April 1994 (age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | |
| Karim Janat |  Afghanistan | (1998-08-11) 11 August 1998 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | |
| Rehan Ahmed | England | (2004-08-13) 13 August 2004 (age 19) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Jordan Cox | England | (2000-10-21) 21 October 2000 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | |
| Jamie Smith | England | (2000-07-12) 12 July 2000 (age 23) | Right-handed | – | 2024 | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan | (2001-03-28) 28 March 2001 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| Chris Jordan | England | (1988-10-04) 4 October 1988 (age 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Dominic Drakes | West Indies | (1998-02-06) 6 February 1998 (age 26) | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Richard Gleeson | England | (1987-12-02) 2 December 1987 (age 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Sanchit Sharma | United Arab Emirates | (2001-07-22) 22 July 2001 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | |
| Saurabh Netravalkar |  United States | (1991-10-16) 16 October 1991 (age 32) | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | |
| Dipendra Singh Airee |  Nepal | (2000-01-24) 24 January 2000 (age 24) | Right-handed | Left-arm off break | ||
Seasons
Season summary
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied/NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Source: ESPNCricinfo[7] | ||||
Note:
- NR indicates No result.
- Abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
Seasons
| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1st out of 6 | Champion |
| 2024 | 2nd out of 6 | 3rd |
Administration and support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Andy Flower |
| Batting coach | Grant Flower |
| Bowling coach | Ottis Gibson |
Statistics and records
Most runs
| Name | Matches | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| James Vince | 11 | 439 |
| Chris Lynn | 8 | 278 |
| Shimron Hetmyer | 10 | 257 |
| Gerhard Erasmus | 8 | 141 |
| David Wiese | 11 | 103 |
Source: ESPNCricinfo.
Most wickets
| Player name | Matches | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Jordan | 10 | 20 |
| David Wiese | 11 | 18 |
| Carlos Brathwaite | 5 | 8 |
| Rehan Ahmed | 6 | 8 |
| Sanchit Sharma | 11 | 7 |
Source: ESPNCricinfo.
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | T10 Sports | Ambuja Cements | Fortune | Tata Capital |
| 2024 | ACC | Fortune | Tata Capital |
References
- ^ Focus, ABP Live (22 December 2022). "ILT20: Adani's Gulf Giants Appoint England Batter James Vince As Captain". news.abplive.com. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "DP World ILT20 final Sunday night; Desert Vipers take on Gulf Giants". Indian Express. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Chris Lynn's heroic knock guides Gulf Giants to inaugural ILT20 title". India Today. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Gulf Giants announce England batter James Vince as captain for ILT20". Hindustan Times. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Andy Flower named head coach of Adani-owned Gulf Giants in UAE's ILT20". Sportstar. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Logo Unveil Gulf Giants Adani Sportsline".
- ^ "International League T20 Points Table". ESPNCricinfo. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
External links
- Gulf Giants on ILT20
