Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz played his first match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as he opened for the Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 1 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday. KKR recorded a resounding eight-wicket win to make it to the finals.
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Gurbaz was brought into the key opening slot late in the season since KKR were without their explosive wicket-keeper batsman, Phil Salt. Salt has joined the English camp for their series against Pakistan ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and will be unavailable for the playoffs.
Salt had been partnering an in-form Sunil Narine in the opening, becoming one of the most feared opening pairs in the IPL this season.
Given the chance, Gurbaz gave a good account of himself. With KKR scuttling out SRH for 159, the scoreboard pressure was off. But Gurbaz hit a quickfire 23 to start the KKR innings.
READ MORE: KKR vs SRH Qualifier 1: Expected lineups, live toss, predictions and betting odds
What are Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s T20 stats?
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is a young batter, built for the modern format of the game. Gurbaz has featured for Afghanistan in T20Is but hasn’t made a mark in the IPL yet. Gurbaz joined KKR in 2023 and played 11 games for them, but was later replaced by Phil Salt for the on-going season.
READ MORE: KKR's IPL Playoff history - Records, matches won, etc.
After the match, Gurbaz revealed that he had flown back to India despite some struggles at home.
"My mom is still sick. I went there (back home in Afghanistan). I got a call from KKR once Phil Salt was leaving," the 22-year-old said in the post-match press conference.
"They called me and messaged me, saying, 'Gurbaz, we need you; what is your situation?'. I said I'll come. My mother is still recovering in the hospital, I speak to her every day. But I knew my KKR was also my family. They needed me here. So I came back from Afghanistan. It's hard, it's tough but I have to manage."
| Matches | Runs | Average | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 250 | 20.83 | 135.87 | 81 |
Gurbaz has featured for the Afghanistan Caricket team in 55 T20Is at a young age of 22
| Matches | Runs | Average | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 1367 | 25.01 | 138.01 | 100 |
