Rahmanullah Gurbaz, born on November 28, 2001, is an accomplished Afghan cricketer who made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2019. Hailing from the Gurbaz tribe in Afghanistan, his journey in cricket has been nothing short of remarkable.
Notably, in January 2021, Gurbaz achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Afghan batsman to score a century on debut in a One Day International (ODI) match.
Gurbaz’s foray into List A cricket began when he made his debut for Afghanistan A against Zimbabwe A during their tour to Zimbabwe on January 27, 2017. His introduction to Twenty20 cricket came through the Mis Ainak Knights in the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League on September 12, 2017. Further expanding his cricketing repertoire, he made his first-class debut for Mis Ainak Region in the 2018 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament on March 1, 2018.
In September 2018, Gurbaz was named in Paktia’s squad for the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League tournament. Subsequently, in November 2019, he was selected to play for the Khulna Tigers in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League. His talents also earned him a spot in the Barbados Tridents squad for the 2020 Caribbean Premier League in July 2020.
April 2021 saw Gurbaz being signed by Multan Sultans to participate in the rescheduled matches of the 2021 Pakistan Super League. He continued his cricketing journey in November 2021 when he was selected to play for the Jaffna Kings following the players’ draft for the 2021 Lanka Premier League. In December 2021, he was signed by Islamabad United following the players’ draft for the 2022 Pakistan Super League.
In March 2022, Gurbaz was named as Jason Roy’s replacement in the Gujarat Titans squad for the 2022 Indian Premier League. His cricketing prowess was further recognized in July 2022 when he was signed by the Jaffna Kings for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League.
Notably, he was traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2023, representing the two-time IPL champions. His debut in the tournament was against the Punjab Kings.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz Family- Father, Mother, Girlfriend, Wife, Brother
Gurbaz’s father, who served as a school principal, initially had reservations about his son dedicating long hours to cricket rather than pursuing a career as a doctor, a path he had aspired to. Gurbaz’s elder brother, Saadat, expressed these concerns to Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s coach, emphasizing that he wouldn’t allow his younger brother to prioritize cricket over his education. This prompted a poignant moment when Rahmanullah, emotional, proclaimed, “I’ll play cricket. I won’t go to school.”
While this may have been a fleeting emotional exchange, Saadat and the family eventually relented, supporting the dream of the second youngest among seven brothers. “His brother advised me to allow Gurbaz to follow his passion. In just five to six years, he progressed to represent the U-19 team and is now a part of the national team,” says Zadran, the coach of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. This statement coincides with the backdrop of cheers celebrating a boundary being struck.
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Rahmanullah Gurbaz keeps a low profile and therefore there is nothing known about his girlfriend or wife. He seems to be single at the moment.
