Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie is appointed head coach of the Hyderabad franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is ready for the 11th edition from March 26, 2026.
The announcement, which soon caught the attention on social media, has been confirmed by several sources, marking Gillespie’s return to the game of cricket in Pakistan in a coaching role.
Gillespie, who is 50 years old, is full of experience, having worked in the Pakistan coaching setup. He was named the head coach for the Squad for Test cricket from April 2024 and alongside Gary Kirsten who was the head coach for the white-ball team.
However, before Pakistan’s two match Test series in South Africa in December 2024, Gillespie stepped down from the role, with some news surfacing of a strained relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and a lack of comfort with the management structure of the team.
The 11th edition of the PSL will expand to eight teams who would include Hyderabad and Sialkot. Hyderabad’s franchise was bagged by businessman Fawad Sarwar in a deal of Rs1.75 billion ($6247500) with the bidder winning an auction to sign a sizable deal for investing into the top T20 event in Pakistan.
The player auction for PSL 11 will be held on February 11. The auction workshop was presided over by the PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi and the PSL CEO Salman Naseer and was attended by representatives from all the eight franchises, officials of PSL, the players of the Pakistan T20 World Cup squad, and the officials of PCB.
Discussions at the session concerned some key operational matters, such as base prices, team budgets, squad size limits, player retention policies and direct player signings.
Gillespie’s recruitment is anticipated to give Hyderabad great experience and a strategic advantage as the franchise gears up to take part in its first ever season of the PSL and add to the league’s image across Pakistan and beyond.
Also read: PSL: Islamabad United gets a new coach
