International career
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, born on November 28, 2001, in Kabul, Afghanistan, plays as an opening wicketkeeper-batter for the Afghanistan national cricket team. He is known for his aggressive batting style, leading Afghanistan’s top order. Below is a year-by-year breakdown of his international career.
ODI Career
- January 21, 2021: Gurbaz made his ODI debut against Ireland in Abu Dhabi. He scored 127 runs off 127 balls, becoming the first Afghan player to score a century on his ODI debut. He also made two stumpings in the match and was named Player of the Match.
- 2023: Gurbaz was part of Afghanistan’s squads for the ACC Asia Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup. He scored 280 runs in 9 innings during the World Cup, with a top score of 80 runs off 57 balls against England and 65 runs off 53 balls against Pakistan. Fans called his style ‘GurBazBall’ for its attacking nature.
- May 2024: Gurbaz scored 1467 runs in 40 ODI matches with an average of 37.61. He has 5 half-centuries and 6 centuries, including a career-high 151 runs against Pakistan.
Test Career
- 2024: Gurbaz made his Test debut in a one-off match against Ireland in Abu Dhabi. He scored 51 runs in the match, his only Test appearance so far.
T20I Career
- September 14, 2019: Gurbaz debuted in T20I cricket against Zimbabwe in a tri-series in Mirpur. He scored 43 runs off 24 balls, helping Afghanistan win by 28 runs.
- 2021: He played in the ICC T20 World Cup but struggled with the bat during the tournament.
- 2022: Gurbaz became the second-highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in the ACC Asia Cup with 152 runs in 5 innings. His 84 runs off 45 balls against Sri Lanka earned him the Player of the Match, though Afghanistan lost the game.
- 2022: In the ICC T20 World Cup, Gurbaz’s performance was not enough to help Afghanistan get past the group stage.
- December 2023: He scored his first T20I century against the UAE, hitting 100 runs off 52 balls and leading Afghanistan to a 72-run win.
- 2024: Gurbaz was the leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup, with Afghanistan reaching the semifinals.
Under-19 Career
- 2018: Gurbaz played in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and became the top run-scorer for Afghanistan in the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, with 117 runs in 4 matches.
Leagues Participation
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has taken part in several major franchise leagues around the world. Below is an overview of his participation in these leagues, with details for each season.
Indian Premier League (IPL)
Gurbaz joined the IPL in 2023 as a replacement for Jason Roy with the Gujarat Titans. However, he did not play in the Titans’ title-winning season that year. Before the 2023 auction, Gurbaz was traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
In 2023, Gurbaz made his debut for Kolkata against the Punjab Kings. He became the first Afghan batter to score a half-century in the IPL, making 57 runs from 44 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore. His best performance came against Gujarat Titans, where he scored 81 off 39 balls at a strike rate of 207.69. Despite this, Kolkata lost the match by 7 wickets.
In 2024, Gurbaz played two matches for Kolkata Knight Riders. In one of those matches, he scored 39 runs from 32 balls. Gurbaz took a break from the team in May 2024 due to his mother’s illness, but returned on May 23, 2024, and played a key role in Kolkata’s win against Hyderabad.
By May 2024, Gurbaz had played 13 IPL matches and scored 289 runs at an average of 22.23. In November 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him again for the 2025 season at a base price of 2 crore INR.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Matches Played
|
Runs Scored
|
Average
|
Highest Score
|
|
2023
|
Gujarat Titans (replaced Jason Roy)
|
0
|
0
|
-
|
-
|
|
2023
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
13
|
289
|
22.23
|
81 (Highest Score)
|
|
2024
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
2
|
39
|
-
|
39
|
|
2025
|
Kolkata Knight Riders
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Afghanistan Premier League (APL)
In September 2018, Gurbaz was included in Paktia's squad for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League.
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
Gurbaz joined the Khulna Tigers for the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League in November 2019. In his first match, he scored 50 runs off 18 balls. However, after a few poor performances, he was dropped from the team but returned in the final three matches, playing in the top order.
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
In July 2020, Gurbaz was selected by the Barbados Tridents for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League. In 2022, he played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, scoring 157 runs in six matches, including two fifties.
Gurbaz rejoined the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2024 CPL season, which runs from August 30 to October 7, 2024.
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
In April 2021, Gurbaz was signed by the Multan Sultans for the rescheduled matches of the 2021 Pakistan Super League. In December 2021, he joined Islamabad United for the 2022 season.
Lanka Premier League (LPL)
In November 2021, Gurbaz was selected by the Jaffna Kings for the 2021 Lanka Premier League. He returned to the Jaffna Kings in July 2022 for the third season of the league.
In 2024, Gurbaz is playing for Colombo Strikers in the Lanka Premier League.
Domestic career
Rahmanullah Gurbaz began his List-A career for Afghanistan A in a match against Zimbabwe A on January 27, 2017, in Harare. Although he was the wicketkeeper, he did not have the chance to bat in the game. In 2018, he played his first First-Class match for Mis Ainak Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali tournament. He scored 14 runs from 46 balls, and the match ended in a draw.
Records and achievements
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has set many records in his cricket career. Here are some of his achievements:
- Top run-scorer in the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup 2018 (117 runs)
- Fastest Afghan batter to score 1,000 ODI runs (19 innings)
- Joint-third fastest batter to score 5 centuries in ODIs (19 innings)
- First Afghanistan batter to score a half-century in the IPL
- First wicketkeeper-batter to score 150+ runs against Pakistan in an ODI
- Highest individual score by an Afghan against Pakistan in ODIs (151 runs)
- First Afghan to score a century against Pakistan in ODIs
- Third Afghan to score a T20I century
- Top scorer at the 2024 T20 World Cup
- First Afghan player to score a century on ODI debut (127 runs against Ireland, January 21, 2021)
- Record holder for the most ODI centuries by an Afghan player, with two centuries in 2022 and 2023.
Personal life
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was born on November 28, 2001, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Growing up in a tough environment, cricket became his way of coping. He played with makeshift equipment at first. His father, who was a school principal, wanted him to study medicine. However, Gurbaz had a passion for cricket. His friends noticed his talent and supported him by helping with transport and equipment.
Family
Gurbaz comes from the Gurbaz tribe. His father, now retired, used to be a school principal, and his mother is a homemaker. He has a sibling, Afsar Ali Saadat. Although his brother didn’t initially support his cricket career, his family eventually backed him.
Finance
Gurbaz’s net worth is estimated to be around $5 million.
Cars and House
He owns a BMW X5 and a Toyota Land Cruiser. In 2023, he lived with his family in a luxury apartment in Nangarhar.
Scandals
In 2023, Gurbaz was charged with violating the ICC code of conduct during a World Cup match against England. After being dismissed, he hit his bat on the boundary line and dug out a chair. He was reprimanded for misusing cricket equipment and received one penalty point. Gurbaz accepted the charge without a formal hearing.
Fans
Gurbaz has a strong fan base. In March 2024, he met fans during a training session at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. A memorable moment was when he gave his gloves to a young fan who had come to see the KKR players. His Instagram has 4 million followers.
