Reports | Rahmanullah Gurbaz to replace Jason Roy at Gujarat Titans for IPL 2022
Gujarat Titans have already got two Afghanistani – Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad – in their camp ahead of the IPL 2022. Now, as per multiple reports, they have brought in a third player from there by signing Rahmanullah Gurbaz in place of Jason Roy, who has decided to withdraw due to bubble fatigue.
Gujarat Titans will make their Indian Premier League (IPL) debut along with Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming edition of the tournament, starting from March 26 in Mumbai. The Titans were forced to scamper for a replacement after Jason Roy pulled out last month due to a bio-bubble fatigue, As per multiple reports, including ESPNCricinfo and Cricbuzz, they have roped in Rahmanullah Gurbaz, swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter from Afghanistan, to replace Roy.
As per ESPNCricinfo, Gurbaz, 20, has been picked at his base price of INR 50 lakh, that he set during IPL 2022 auctions. This will be his first stint in the cash-rich league.
Gurbaz will be joining his Afghanistan teammates Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad at Titans camp. While Rashid had been acquired by the franchise pre-auction, Noor, who recently featured in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, was picked up at the auction. Overall, he will become the fifth player from the country to feature in the IPL 2022, after Mohammad Nabi (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Gurbaz will be a back-up option as a wicket-keeper for Australia’s Matthew Wade, who is likely to be at the top alongside Shubman Gill. They have also got Ben McDermott, who recently notched up his maiden T20I half-century during the home series against Sri Lanka after having finished as the leading run scorer in the 2021/22 Big Bash League (BBL).
Since September 2019, Gurbaz has the eighth-highest strike rate (153.05) among 65 players who have scored 1500-plus T20 runs. He struck a 24-ball 43 on his T20I debut, a 19-ball 50 on his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) debut and a 22-ball 53 on his Lanka Premier League (LPL) debut. On his ODI debut, he scored a run-a-ball 127 and has three hundreds in nine games in the format.