Although he has shown glimpses of potential, he has not fully met expectations, having scored only 363 runs in 19 IPL matches.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz from Afghanistan has been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2023. Although he has shown glimpses of potential, he has not fully met expectations, having scored only 363 runs in 19 IPL matches. He was part of the KKR squad that won the IPL 2024 title but did not get many opportunities to play, serving as the backup to Phil Salt.
MAL-W
–
ASM-W
–
INA
172/5
PHL
176/1
Philippines won by 9 wickets
PHL
246/7
SK
134/9
Philippines beat South Korea by 112 runs
SL
159/3
BAN
154/5
Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
BUL
217/6
GBT
222/4
Gibraltar beat Bulgaria by 6 wickets
BUL
200/2
TRK
195/8
Bulgaria beat Turkey by 8 wickets
GBT
–
TRK
–
GBT
–
BUL
–
BRBA
160/8
HAST
159/5
Brussels Bashers beat Hasselt Titans by 2 wickets
LEUL
110/8
OSTG
115/5
Ostend Tigers beat Leuven Lions by 5 wickets
LEST
99/8
BRBA
157/4
Brussels Bashers beat Liege Stallions by 58 runs
ATPG
97/9
HAST
165/5
Hasselt Titans beat Antwerp Giants by 68 runs
GENW
82/1
LEUL
182/3
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
NVR
155/7
NAJC
177/7
Nabajyoti Club won by 22 runs
GTC
135/3
CCC
134/9
Gauhati Town Club beat City Cricket Club by 7 wickets
91YC
–
CCC
–
BCC
–
NAJC
–
CD
30/0
DC
165/7
GAW
–
RR
–
DC
–
HH
–
GAW
–
CD
–
JER
–
SCOT
–
NED
–
ITA
–
ENG
251/4
IND
–
Day
NWW
88/10
MUR
188/7
Munster Reds beat North West Warriors by 100 runs
LLG
–
NK
187/9
BNC
–
CHK
–
TCC
–
CEC-A
–
FEK
–
KRMPS
–
GUJCC
–
ALECC
–
MB
–
THUO
–
SFU
131/10
MINY
132/8
MI New York beat San Francisco Unicorns by 2 wickets
TSKS
–
MINY
–
MMS
143/10
OAW
215/7
Ossudu Accord Warriors beat Mahe Megalo Strikers by 72 runs
VMK
153/5
KAK
152/4
Villianur Mohit Kings beat Karaikal Kniights by 5 wickets
OAW
–
YAR
–
MMS
–
RWT
–
BHN
157/4
TAN
154/7
Bahrain beat Tanzania by 6 wickets
ML
166/8
GER
158/10
Malawi beat Germany by 8 runs
LEI
–
NOR
–
DER
–
WOR
–
HAM
–
GLAM
–
MID
–
GLO
–
WOR
–
BB
–
KENT
–
SOM
–
SURR
–
GLAM
–
NOT
–
DURH
–
NOR
–
DER
–
ESS
–
SUSS
–
LAN
–
YOR
–
TBLZ-W
–
SUR-W
–
SOM-W
–
BRB-W
–
DUR-W
–
HAM-W
–
Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, KKR released both Phil Salt and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. While Salt went on to join RCB, Gurbaz was bought again by KKR but remained a backup option as the team also brought in Quinton de Kock. Since De Kock struggled with his form, Gurbaz got a chance to play in five matches but could only score 74 runs, failing to make a strong impact.
Now, KKR will have to decide whether to keep him for the next season or release him again. If they do release him, there are a few teams that might be interested in picking him up. Some could consider him for the playing eleven while others might see him as a useful backup. So let us take a look at three teams that could target him in the IPL 2026 auction.
Chennai Super Kings could be one of the teams that could look to target Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the IPL 2026 auction if KKR releases him. With Dhoni’s future not confirmed yet whether he will play the IPL 2026 or whether that will be his last season, so CSK might look for a keeper who can be a part of the squad in the coming years and Gurbaz can be an option.
Urvil Patel is also a keeper which CSK has but if we look at the top order of CSK, especially overseas, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway both had a disappointing season and because of that CSK tried young batters like Ayush Mhatre and Shaik Rasheed in the lineup. There could be a possibility that they might release the likes of Rachin and Conway so for the replacement they could target Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the auction.
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Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru could also be one of the teams that might look to target Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the IPL 2026 auction if KKR releases him. RCB already has Phil Salt as their opening wicketkeeper-batter, who performed brilliantly last season and played a key role in their title win. He is most likely to be retained by the team.
However, RCB still does not have a reliable backup for Phil Salt. They had picked Tim Seifert as a temporary replacement during the season when some players missed matches due to a one-week suspension caused by political tensions between India and Pakistan. Since Seifert was only a short-term replacement, RCB cannot retain him.
Just like Salt, Gurbaz also likes to open the innings and dominate in the powerplay. The batting conditions at Chinnaswamy might suit his aggressive style as well. So, Gurbaz could be a player they consider targeting in the upcoming auction.
Mumbai Indians might also look to target Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the IPL 2026 auction if KKR releases him. MI has Ryan Rickelton in the squad, who had a very good IPL 2025 season, which was also his debut in the league. But he had to miss the playoffs because of the WTC 2025 Final.
The IPL got suspended due to India Pakistan tensions, so it was delayed by one week. Because of that, Rickelton had to leave for international commitments, and as a temporary replacement, Mumbai bought Jonny Bairstow. He played two matches and was impressive, but he cannot be retained. So Mumbai might look to target him again, but if he gets sold elsewhere, they might also consider going after Gurbaz in the auction, as he is an attacking batter who can exploit bowlers in the powerplay and is also a wicketkeeping option.
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