 | ||
| League | International League T20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | James Vince | |
| Coach | Andy Flower | |
| Owner | Adani Group | |
| Team information | ||
| Colours | Orange Gold | |
| Founded | 2022 | |
| History | ||
| ILT20 wins | 1 (2022-23) | |
| Official website | http://www.gulfgiants.com | |
| ||
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]
Team history
Background
In May 2022, Emirates Cricket Board made announcement regarding the establishment of International League T20. subsequently, it was revealed that Adani Sportsline, lead by Pranav Adani will be owning a team in the league.[6][7] The team unveiled their logo and jersey in January 2023, through their social media handles.[8]
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 |
14 March 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | Captain |
| Chris Lynn | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia |
10 April 1990 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | |
| Shimron Hetmyer |  West Indies |
26 December 1996 | Left-handed | Right-arm off-spin | 2023 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| Aayan Afzal Khan |  United Arab Emirates |
15 November 2005 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | |
| Carlos Brathwaite | West Indies |
18 July 1988 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Gerhard Erasmus |  Namibia |
11 April 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2023 | |
| Jamie Overton | England |
10 April 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | |
| Karim Janat | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Afghanistan |
11 August 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | |
| Rehan Ahmed | England |
13 August 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Jordan Cox | England |
21 October 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | |
| Jamie Smith | England |
12 July 2000 | Right-handed | – | 2024 | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan |
28 March 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| Chris Jordan | England |
4 October 1988 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Dominic Drakes | West Indies |
6 February 1998 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Richard Gleeson | England |
2 December 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Sanchit Sharma | United Arab Emirates |
22 July 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | |
| Saurabh Netravalkar |  United States |
16 October 1991 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | |
Seasons
Season summary
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied/NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Source: ESPNCricinfo[9] | ||||
Note:
- NR indicates No result.
- Abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
Seasons
| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 1st out of 6 | Champion |
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.
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.
- ↑ Lavalette, Tristan (20 May 2022). "Flush With Cash And Influential Backing, The UAE's New T20 League Is Set To Shake Up Cricket Globally". Forbes. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ↑ "Adani group names its UAE ILT20 cricket team as Gulf Giants, Andy Flower appointed coach". Live Mint. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ↑ "Gulf Giants launch jersey for inaugural season of ILT20". Times Of India. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ↑ "International League T20 Points Table". ESPNCricinfo. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.