T20 World Cup, 7 June 2024, vs New Zealand
80 off 45 balls, Player of the Match, as Afghanistan won by 84 runs.
Why it mattered: his best innings of the tournament, and the win that put Afghanistan on course for the Super 8s.
Wicketkeeper-batter Paktia
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaz captains Paktia in APL T20 2026 and opens the batting for Afghanistan.
- Born
- 28 November 2001, Khost
- Role
- Wicketkeeper-batter
- Batting
- Right hand
- 2026 role
- Paktia captain
281
Runs, leading scorer at the 2024 T20 World Cup
9
ODI centuries, most by an Afghan
127
Runs on ODI debut, v Ireland 2021
151
Highest ODI score, v Pakistan 2023
Last updated 5 November 2026, 16:40 GST
Player Facts
- Full name
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Born
- 28 November 2001, Khost, Afghanistan
- Age
- 24 (born 28 November 2001)
- Nationality
- Afghanistan
- Role
- Wicketkeeper-batter
- Batting style
- Right hand
- Shirt number
- 21 (ODI and T20I)
- Current APL team
- Paktia
- 2026 role
- Paktia captain
- Afghanistan role
- Test and ODI vice-captain (since 22 July 2026)
- Test debut
- 28 February 2024, v Ireland
- ODI debut
- 21 January 2021, v Ireland
- T20I debut
- 14 September 2019, v Zimbabwe
APL Career
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was 16 when he was named in Paktia Panthers' squad for the first APL in 2018, and he played five matches as a specialist batter, because Mohammad Shahzad kept wicket. He made 65 runs at 16.25 with a highest score of 33 against Balkh Legends on 13 October, when four sixes in 22 balls were the best innings of his season, and he took two catches, Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum, in the outfield. He was on the bench for four league matches, and as a substitute fielder against Kandahar Knights on 17 October he stumped Nasir Jamal. In the semi-final against Kabul Zwanan on 20 October he made 7 off 10 as Paktia were bowled out for 102 and lost by 90 runs. Paktia had finished second in the league, with five wins from eight matches.
He returns in 2026 as a captain, but not the one first announced. At the leaders' draft on 25 October 2026, Gurbaz was named Nangarhar captain and Rahmat Shah was named Paktia captain. On 3 November, just before the players' draft, the two captains were swapped: Gurbaz now leads Paktia, with Azhar Mahmood as head coach and Waqar Younis as mentor, and Rahmat Shah leads Nangarhar Cosmic. The ACB described the change as a decision of the APL Technical Committee reached by mutual agreement between franchise owners and captains, and the reasons were not publicly disclosed. The season starts on 27 December 2026.
APL career stats
His 2018 figures come from the verified scorecards of the five matches he played: four league matches and the semi-final. He was on the bench for the other four league matches. The averages and strike rate below are computed from those scorecard figures.
| Season | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | Strike rate | 50s / 100s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 | 4 | 65 | 33 | 16.25 | 141.30 | 0 / 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 2026 | Season not started | ||||||||
| Season | Matches | Overs | Wickets | Best figures | Average | Economy | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Did not bowl in the APL | ||||||
| 2026 | Season not started | ||||||
What could not be verified: his exact 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy figures, his overall T20 franchise career aggregate, and the exact date he was named Afghanistan's T20I vice-captain. Those are marked To be confirmed rather than estimated.
Season-by-season performance
| Year | Team | Matches | Runs / Wickets | Team finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Paktia Panthers | 5 | 65 runs / 0 wickets | Semi-finals |
| 2026 | Paktia | Season not started | Season not started | To be confirmed |
Notable performances
T20 World Cup, 3 June 2024, vs Uganda
76 off 45 balls, Player of the Match, as Afghanistan won by 125 runs.
Why it mattered: the opening win of a campaign that ended in Afghanistan's first World Cup semi-final.
ODI, 21 January 2021, vs Ireland
127 on ODI debut at Abu Dhabi, the first century on ODI debut by an Afghan.
Why it mattered: only the 16th batter in history to score a century on ODI debut, and still the highest score by an Afghan on debut.
ODI, 24 August 2023, vs Pakistan
151 at Hambantota, his highest ODI score.
Why it mattered: it remains his highest score in one-day cricket, and it was the fifth of his nine ODI centuries.
APL 2018, 13 October 2018, vs Balkh Legends
33 off 22 balls with four sixes, his best APL innings.
Why it mattered: he was 16, playing his first franchise season, and the four sixes were a glimpse of the opener he would become.
Playing style and strengths
He is an opener who scores fast. He bats right-handed, takes the attack to the new ball in the powerplay, and clears the ropes early: his IPL strike rate is 134.94, and his 2018 APL strike rate of 141.30 came from 65 runs in 46 balls. The innings that define him are short and hard-hit rather than long: the 80 against New Zealand at the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 57 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru that was the first IPL fifty by an Afghan, and the 127 on ODI debut.
Behind the stumps he is Afghanistan's first choice. He has kept wicket in 61 ODIs and 90 T20Is, with 35 catches and 4 stumpings in ODIs and 52 catches and 4 stumpings in T20Is. In the 2018 APL he played as a specialist batter, because Mohammad Shahzad kept wicket for Paktia, and his two catches in that season, Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum, were both taken in the outfield.
Records and milestones
- First Afghan to score a century on ODI debut: 127 v Ireland, Abu Dhabi, 21 January 2021 (16th batter overall to do it).
- Most ODI centuries by an Afghan: 9 (next: Ibrahim Zadran 7, Mohammad Shahzad 6).
- Leading run-scorer of the 2024 T20 World Cup: 281 runs in 8 matches.
- First Afghan to score a fifty in the IPL: 57 v Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 6 April 2023.
- Maiden T20I century: 100 v UAE, Sharjah, 29 December 2023.
- Highest ODI score: 151 v Pakistan, Hambantota, 24 August 2023.
- Two IPL titles with two franchises: Gujarat Titans 2022 (did not play) and Kolkata Knight Riders 2024 (played the final).
- Afghanistan's Test and ODI vice-captain since 22 July 2026; Paktia captain for APL 2026.
Career outside APL
He made his List A debut in 2017 at 15, for Afghanistan A against Zimbabwe A, and played his first T20 match in the Shpageeza Cricket League shortly after. He was picked for the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and was Afghanistan's most prolific batter in the Under-19 Asia Cup later that year. His T20I debut came against Zimbabwe at Dhaka on 14 September 2019, when he made 43 off 24 balls, and his ODI debut against Ireland at Abu Dhabi on 21 January 2021 brought 127, the first century on ODI debut by an Afghan. His Test debut followed against Ireland at Abu Dhabi on 28 February 2024.
The one-day centuries kept coming. After the debut hundred he made 103 against the Netherlands at Doha in January 2022 and 106 not out against Bangladesh at Chattogram a month later, then 145 against Bangladesh and 151 against Pakistan in 2023. The 151 at Hambantota on 24 August 2023 is still his highest ODI score. Four more followed, against Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh and India, taking him to nine, the most by an Afghan. In T20I cricket his only century so far is 100 against the UAE at Sharjah on 29 December 2023, and at the 2024 T20 World Cup he finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 281 runs.
The IPL came in stages. Gujarat Titans signed him in March 2022 as a replacement for Jason Roy, but he did not play a game as they won the title. Traded to Kolkata Knight Riders, he made his IPL debut on 1 April 2023 against Punjab Kings, and five days later his 57 off 44 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru was the first fifty by an Afghan in the IPL. He played 19 IPL matches in all, scoring 363 runs at a strike rate of 134.94, and was part of two title-winning squads: Gujarat in 2022 and Kolkata in 2024, when he played the final. Kolkata released him before the IPL 2026 auction and he went unsold. Beyond the IPL he has played in the BPL, LPL, PSL and CPL, most recently for Rangpur Riders in Bangladesh and Dhaka Capitals.
The leadership role followed in July 2026. When Rahmat Shah was appointed Afghanistan's Test and ODI captain on 22 July 2026, Gurbaz was named his vice-captain in both formats, and he also serves as T20I vice-captain. It is the same pair, in the same order, as the APL captaincy swap: Rahmat Shah leads Nangarhar Cosmic, Gurbaz leads Paktia.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s / 50s | Catches / Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 3 | 133 | 46 | 22.16 | 0 / 1 | 3 / 0 |
| ODI | 61 | 2,196 | 151 | 36.60 | 9 / 8 | 35 / 4 |
| T20I | 90 | 2,295 | 100 | 25.50 | 1 / 13 | 52 / 4 |
| First-class | 15 | 1,074 | 153 | 42.96 | 1 / 7 | 19 / 5 |
The table is the 23 October 2026 snapshot, so his last ODI against Bangladesh on 21 October 2026 is already inside it. No later snapshot was used, and no figure after that date is folded in.
Teams played for in APL
- 2018 Paktia Panthers 5 matches, 65 runs; semi-finals
- No APL season, 2019–2025
- 2026 Paktia Captain, Afghan Icon, season starts 27 December 2026
Compare with similar players
Mohammad Shahzad
Afghanistan's previous opener-keeper; kept wicket for Paktia in 2018 while Gurbaz played as a batter.
Ibrahim Zadran
His opening partner for Afghanistan; the two put on 256 against Bangladesh in July 2023.
Hazratullah Zazai
Fellow Afghan opener, known for his 162 not out against Ireland in 2019.
Latest news about Rahmanullah Gurbaz
FAQs
Which team does Rahmanullah Gurbaz play for in APL 2026?
Paktia. The franchise picked him as their Afghan Icon at the player draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026 and named him captain, with Azhar Mahmood as head coach and Waqar Younis as mentor. He was first named Nangarhar captain on 25 October, then swapped to Paktia on 3 November, just before the draft.
Did Rahmanullah Gurbaz play in APL 2018?
Yes, for Paktia Panthers: five matches, 65 runs at 16.25, with a highest score of 33 against Balkh Legends and two catches. He was on the bench for four league matches and played the semi-final against Kabul Zwanan on 20 October 2018, making 7 as Paktia lost by 90 runs.
What is Rahmanullah Gurbaz's role?
He is a wicketkeeper-batter who opens the batting for Afghanistan. He bats right-handed and keeps wicket, and he is Afghanistan's vice-captain in Test and ODI cricket. In the APL he captains Paktia.
What are Rahmanullah Gurbaz's biggest innings?
151 against Pakistan in an ODI at Hambantota in August 2023, 127 on his ODI debut against Ireland in January 2021, and 100 against the UAE in a T20I at Sharjah in December 2023. At the 2024 T20 World Cup his best was 80 against New Zealand.
Why does Rahmanullah Gurbaz matter to Afghanistan?
He was the leading run-scorer of the 2024 T20 World Cup, with 281 runs as Afghanistan reached their first World Cup semi-final. His nine ODI centuries are the most by an Afghan, and he was the first Afghan to score a century on ODI debut.