Richard Gleeson is an English professional cricketer renowned for his right-arm fast-medium bowling and unusual late entry to professional cricket. Hailing from Blackpool, Lancashire, Gleeson is one cricketer who did not take the conventional route into professional cricket. Prior to making his name as a county and international cricketer, Gleeson played cricket development roles and lower-level cricket before impressing in Northamptonshire and making his mark as a consistent white-ball bowler.
His profile in the sport got even more interesting as he played his first game for England in T20I against India at 34 years old. His performance included taking crucial wickets in the form of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant. Gleeson has a very successful career in franchise cricket, having played for many teams in various leagues globally, including the IPL.
Who Is Richard Gleeson?
Richard Gleeson is a fast-medium bowler from England who has been selected to play international T20 games for England and played county cricket for clubs like Northamptonshire, Lancashire, and Warwickshire. He is known for his speed, accuracy, and skills in short-form cricket.
Gleeson is not one of those cricketers who join an academy during their teens; he started his career rather late compared to others. He became part of England after playing in club and minor county cricket. Thus, he is a fairly unique case in modern-day English cricket.
Richard Gleeson Biography
| Biography Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Richard James Gleeson |
| Date of Birth | December 2, 1987 |
| Age in 2026 | 38 Years |
| Birthplace | Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Profession | Professional Cricketer |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-Handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-Arm Fast-Medium |
| International Team | England |
| International Format | T20I |
| T20I Debut | July 9, 2022 vs India |
| First-Class Debut | August 15, 2015 vs Australia |
| Domestic Teams | Northamptonshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire |
| IPL Teams | Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Known For | Pace bowling and late rise to international cricket |
Richard Gleeson Age and Date of Birth
Richard Gleeson was born on the 2nd of December 1987. In the year 2026, Richard will be 38 years old. The fact that he came late into first-class cricket is very critical in the history of Richard Gleeson’s cricket career since he made his first-class debut at age 27.
Richard Gleeson Birthplace and Hometown
Richard Gleeson was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. He also grew up in Blackpool and began playing cricket for Blackpool Cricket Club. His early connection with Lancashire cricket eventually played an important role in his development as a cricketer.
Richard Gleeson Family and Parents
spotlight. Detailed cricket biographies offer very little information about his family background, his parents’ occupations, or any family history that might be relevant. Although some online sources say that his parents were James and Susan Gleeson, it is difficult to confirm this information based on official cricket or other credible sources.
Gleeson was born and grew up in Blackpool, Lancashire, and his entire career path is strongly linked to local cricket. Before becoming a professional cricketer, he used to work in cricket development and coaching, slowly climbing his way to success by playing for clubs and county cricket teams.
Richard Gleeson Education & Qualification
Richard Gleeson studied at the University of Cumbria, where he studied Coaching and Sport Performance. His education reflected his interest in sport and coaching at a time when he was not certain that professional cricket would become his career.
Before becoming a full-time professional cricketer, he also worked in cricket development, helping introduce the sport to young players in Lancashire.
Richard Gleeson Height, Weight and Physical Appearance
| Physical Attribute | Details |
| Height | Approximately 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Build | Tall and Athletic |
| Eye Colour | Hazel/Blue |
| Hair Colour | Medium Golden Brown |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm Fast-Medium |
| Role | Bowler |
Richard Gleeson Early Life and Childhood
Richard Gleeson, who was born and brought up in Blackpool, Lancashire, had his early years in very local English circumstances despite not having gone through the usual route of an elite academy. Upon release during his younger years, he played his junior years for Blackpool Cricket Club and the minor counties of Cumberland cricket. Instead of embarking on a career right away, he had done normal jobs such as being a landscape gardener, boiler factory laborer, and a tackle shop employee for his early twenties while studying Coaching and Sport Performance at University of Cumbria. He had worked as a community cricket development officer and coach for schools and clubs for the Lancashire Cricket Board while doing regular jobs before making it into professional county cricket at his late twenties.
Richard Gleeson Cricket Career
Richard Gleeson’s professional career is notable because of how late it developed. He made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire against the touring Australian side in August 2015, at the age of 27. He impressed during that match, including dismissing both Marsh brothers, which helped him earn a more permanent opportunity with Northamptonshire.
His performances in limited-overs cricket became particularly important. Gleeson developed a reputation for bowling with pace and maintaining control, which made him increasingly valuable in T20 cricket.
Richard Gleeson Domestic Cricket Career
Gleeson began his professional domestic career with Northamptonshire. His first-class debut came against Australia in 2015, while his List A debut followed against Lancashire in 2016. He subsequently signed a contract with Northamptonshire and became an important part of their white-ball setup.
He later moved to Lancashire, where he continued to develop as a specialist white-ball bowler. He subsequently represented Warwickshire, adding another important chapter to his county career. Current cricket profiles list Northamptonshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire among his major domestic teams.
Richard Gleeson T20 Career
T20 cricket has been one of the strongest parts of Gleeson’s career. His ability to bowl with pace and attack batters made him particularly useful in franchise competitions. He has played in several international T20 leagues, representing teams across competitions such as the Bangladesh Premier League, Big Bash League, The Hundred, SA20, Pakistan Super League and other franchise tournaments.
One of his domestic T20 highlights came in the 2022 T20 Blast when he recorded his first five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, taking 5 wickets for 33 runs against Worcestershire Rapids.
Richard Gleeson International Career
Gleeson made his England T20I debut against India on July 9, 2022, at Edgbaston. His debut was extraordinary because he dismissed three major Indian batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant. He finished the match with impressive figures of 3/15.
He went on to play six T20Is for England in 2022. His final T20I came against Pakistan on September 30, 2022. His international career was relatively short, but his debut performance remains one of the most memorable moments of his career.
Richard Gleeson Bowling Style and Strengths
Gleeson is a right-arm fast-medium bowler. His bowling is based on pace, bounce and variations that can trouble batters in the shorter formats.
His major strengths include:
- Right-arm fast-medium pace
- Ability to generate bounce
- Effective use of seam movement
- Experience in T20 cricket
- Ability to attack established batters
- Strong performances in short-format cricket
- Experience across different international franchise leagues
Richard Gleeson Stats and Records
| Format | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Bowling Average | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 6 | 2 | 9 | 20.77 | 3/15 |
| First-Class | 34 | 259 | 143 | 21.34 | 6/43 |
| List A | 21 | 53 | 28 | 29.14 | 5/47 |
| T20 | 145 | 67 | 170 | 22.99 | 5/33 |
Richard Gleeson IPL Career
Richard Gleeson made his IPL debut for the Chennai Super Kings in 2024. He subsequently appeared in the IPL again, with current cricket records listing matches against Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
His IPL career has so far been limited in terms of appearances, but his involvement demonstrates the value of his experience as a specialist T20 bowler. Current IPL records list him with three IPL appearances, two runs and three wickets in the available career summary.
Richard Gleeson Personal Life
Richard Gleeson maintains his personal life quite confidential and always wants the spotlight to be only on his cricketing profession. Richard was born and brought up in Blackpool, Lancashire, and during his early life, he used to maintain a balance between cricket and coaching. Apart from cricket, not much information is available regarding his interests and personal life.
Richard Gleeson Relationship and Girlfriend
Richard Gleeson is currently married to his wife Laura Gleeson. They got married on September 26, 2020, and have two children together. Richard doesn’t talk much about himself or about his family in the media except for saying that his wife was with him at all his career highlights, including his first call-up to the English team.
Richard Gleeson Net Worth in 2026
Richard Gleeson’s exact net worth in 2026 has not been officially disclosed. However, considering his long career in county cricket, England T20I appearances, international franchise leagues and IPL earnings, his estimated net worth can reasonably be placed at around $2 million–$3 million (approximately ₹17–₹25 crore).
A major boost to his earnings came from the 2026 IPL season, when Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed Gleeson as a replacement for Nuwan Thushara for ₹1.6 crore. RCB officially confirmed the signing in May 2026.
Before joining RCB, Gleeson had represented Chennai Super Kings in 2024 and Mumbai Indians in 2025. His long-term participation in domestic cricket and various T20 leagues also contributes to his overall income.
| Year | Estimated Net Worth |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $1.2 Million |
| 2024 | $1.6 Million |
| 2025 | $2.0 Million |
| 2026 | $2–3 Million |
Richard Gleeson Income and Sources
His major potential income sources include:
- County cricket contracts
- Franchise T20 leagues
- IPL participation
- Match and appearance fees
- Tournament contracts
- Sponsorship and promotional opportunities
Richard Gleeson House, Cars and Lifestyle
Richard Gleeson lives a simple and humble life based in his native place Blackpool, England. Even though his job as a cricketer involves him traveling all over the world for county cricket, national team cricket and T20 cricket league in different countries, yet he likes to live a simple life, without getting much into limelight due to his job. Humorously enough, he calls himself as being “the luxury sports car that gets stored up for a long time before it gets used” when talking about his style of playing T20 cricket league as a part-time bowler; however, he spends most of his time in keeping fit and spending time with his wife Laura and two children.
Richard Gleeson Social Media Accounts
| Platform | ID / Username | Followers |
|---|---|---|
| @rgleeson33 | 47.4K+ | |
| X (Twitter) | @ricGleeson33 | 3.7K+ |
Richard Gleeson Lesser-Known Facts
- Richard Gleeson grew up in Blackpool, Lancashire, and played for Blackpool Cricket Club from a young age.
- Before becoming a professional cricketer, he worked as a Cricket Development Officer, helping introduce cricket to young players in Lancashire.
- Gleeson studied Coaching and Sport Performance at the University of Cumbria.
- He made his first-class debut at the age of 27, considerably later than many professional cricketers.
- He initially played for Northamptonshire on a match-by-match basis while continuing his coaching work.
- Gleeson played T20 cricket for the Rangpur Riders in the 2016 Bangladesh Premier League.
- In 2022, he took his first five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, finishing with 5/33 for Lancashire against Worcestershire Rapids.
- He made his England T20I debut at 34 years and 219 days, making him one of England’s oldest T20I debutants.
- On his England debut against India, he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant and finished with 3/15.
Conclusion
The career of Richard Gleeson is one of the best examples that show how persistence can create chances despite the fact that the player did not follow the traditional way into professional sport. It is safe to say that his career differed significantly from the careers of many top players who have started their careers with club cricket in Blackpool and playing cricket development.
However, his international debut in 2022 added even more color to the life story of the man. The fact that he managed to take three wickets during his debut match in England T20I, including the very valuable wickets of such stars as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant is definitely worth mentioning.
FAQs
Who is Richard Gleeson?
Richard Gleeson is an English professional fast-medium bowler who has represented England in T20 internationals and played domestic and franchise cricket around the world.
How old is Richard Gleeson in 2026?
Richard Gleeson is 38 years old in 2026. He was born on December 2, 1987.
Where was Richard Gleeson born?
He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
What is Richard Gleeson’s bowling style?
He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler.
When did Richard Gleeson make his England debut?
He made his England T20I debut against India on July 9, 2022, at Edgbaston.
How many wickets did Richard Gleeson take on his England debut?
He took 3 wickets for 15 runs, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
Did Richard Gleeson play in the IPL?
Yes. He made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings in 2024 and has subsequently appeared in IPL matches for the franchise circuit.
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