The power of Kevin Pietersen could be the force that drives Quetta Gladiators to an unexpected victory!

Full Squad: Kevin Pietersen (ENG), Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Luke Wright (ENG), Zulfiqar Babar, Umar Gul, Elton Chigumbura (ZIM), Bilal Asif, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Nawaz, Saad Nasim, Mohammad Nabi (AFG), Akbar-ur-Rehman, Bismillah Khan, Jade Dernbach (ENG), Thisara Perera (SL).

Supplementary: Kumar Sangakkara, Aizaz Cheema, Ramiz Raja Jr.

Captain: Sarfraz Ahmed

Coaching staff: Moin Khan (Head Coach), Ian Pont (Bowling Coach).

On paper, Quetta's team has what can be regarded as 'ordinary' picks who generally can't be regarded as 'big' players, but they still have got some good names. They can be confident about:

Kevin Pietersen's serious match-winning abilities in the T20 format, proof of which was the way he played an instrumental role in England win in the Twenty20 World Cup back in 2010. He comes with a big reputation built upon solid performances in T20 leagues around the world. He can hit big or stabilise the innings but above all, he can change the face of a T20 game in a matter of few deliveries.

Sarfraz Ahmed (Captain) who generally looks like a very positive batsman on the crease. He can play some stupendous shots to pace bowlers but can milk the spinners in equal measure by running singles and doubles. To many, he isn't that useful in the lower order so Quetta would be well advised to ensure that he is utilized at top in the batting order.

Luke Wright, may have a reputation as a big hitter, but hasn't done justice to his talent as can be judged from his batting average in T20Is. Quetta will be hoping that he is able to conjure-up some fancy performances for them in the inaugural season of Pakistan Super League.

They have a few weaknesses, however, which might cause them issues during the course of the tournament:

Asad Shafiq, he hasn't proved himself yet in the shorter format of the game. He is a batsman who is able to survive on the wicket, as from what we have seen from him in Tests. But he won't have time for his style of batting as the T20 format needs batsmen to get going from ball one and to dominate the attack.

Umar Gul can get hit for a few. He has recently returned from an injury break and it appears that he is no longer the potent force he was before. He was selected for the New Zealand tour, and was benched after two games. Whether he can regain his old form in the UAE may well shape the fortunes of the Gladiators.

It seems like age has caught up with Zulfiqar Babar, and he also looked very poor the last time he played an international match for Pakistan, and that can be a worry for Quetta Gladiators.

Quetta may not have the big names and the big publicity machine behind them, but what they do seem to have is a lot of quiet confidence allied with some genuine skills - the perfect definition of an underdog!

Key man: Kevin Pietersen. 

Players to watch out for: Saad Nasim, Mohammad Nawaz and Rameez Raja Jr.

Discuss!