Name: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is a cricketer from Afghanistan known for his aggressive batting style and wicket-keeping skills, He made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2019. His family belongs to the Gurbaz tribe of Afghanistan. He quickly gained attention for his batting in the top order. His ability to play aggressive strokes and score rapidly, especially in white-ball cricket, has made him a notable talent for Afghan cricket. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has participated in various T20 leagues, showcasing his skills in franchise cricket. His performances in domestic competitions have established him as a dynamic batsman capable of handling challenging bowling attacks. In January 2021, he scored a century in his debut One Day International (ODI) match against Ireland, becoming the first Afghan player to achieve this feat.
Gurbaz made his List A debut for Afghanistan A against Zimbabwe A on 27 January 2017 during their tour to Zimbabwe. He made his Twenty20 debut for Mis Ainak Knights in the Shpageeza Cricket League on 12 September 2017.
In December 2017, Gurbaz was included in Afghanistan's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
On 1 March 2018, he made his first-class debut for Mis Ainak Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament.
In September 2018, he joined Paktia's squad for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League tournament. In November 2019, he played for the Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League.
In August 2019, Gurbaz was named in Afghanistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2019–20 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series. He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe on 14 September 2019.
In October 2019, he emerged as the leading run-scorer for Afghanistan in the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, scoring 117 runs in four matches. In December 2018, he was selected for Afghanistan's under-23 team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
In July 2020, he was named in the Barbados Tridents squad for the Caribbean Premier League.
In January 2021, he was named in Afghanistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against Ireland. He made his ODI debut on 21 January 2021, scoring 127 runs and becoming the first Afghan player to score a century on ODI debut and the 16th overall. He holds the 21st position in the ICC Odi batting rankings with a total of 649 points.
In April 2021, Gurbaz was signed by Multan Sultans for the rescheduled matches in the Pakistan Super League.
In September 2021, Gurbaz was included in Afghanistan's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. He played for Delhi Bulls and went on to become their second-highest run-getter. Soon he was recalled by ACB to make his ODI debut. The explosive opener scored 127 runs against Ireland on debut, to become the first player from his country to hit a ton in his first match. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is ranked 23rd position in the ICC T20 batting rankings with a total of 593 points.
In November 2021, he was selected to play for the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League.
In December 2021, he was signed by Islamabad United for the 2022 Pakistan Super League.
In March 2022, he joined the Gujarat Titans as Jason Roy's replacement for the Indian Premier League.
In July 2022, he was signed again by the Jaffna Kings for the Lanka Premier League's third edition.
He was brought in by the Gujarat franchise as a replacement for Jason Roy in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League but did not play a single game in his team's title-winning campaign.
He was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2023, making his debut against Punjab Kings. To date, he has played 13 matches in his IPL career, scoring 289 runs with an average of 22.23. He has hit 2 half-centuries, with his highest score being 81 runs. Throughout his IPL career, he has struck 24 fours and 19 sixes.
In September 2023, he was named in Afghanistan's squad for the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup.
In his Test career to date, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has played 1 match to date in his Test career and has scored 51 runs, with an average of 26. In Feb 2024, he played his recent Test match against Ireland at Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, scoring 5 runs off 20 balls.
In his T20 career, he has played 55 matches to date and has scored 1,376 runs, with an average of 25.
In the 2024 IPL Auction, the Kolkata franchise acquired him for Rs 50.00 Lac. On May 2024, he played his last IPL match against Hyderabad at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, scoring 39 runs off 32 balls.
