The World Cup's top scorer
Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 2024 was one of the great years in T20 cricket: he finished as the top run-scorer at the T20 World Cup, with 281 runs as Afghanistan reached the semi-finals for the first time, and then won the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders, where his opening partnership set the tone for the title. He has scored a hundred on his one-day international debut, against Ireland in Abu Dhabi in 2021, and he has been Afghanistan's first-choice opener and keeper for years. His game is built on power and intent: he attacks from the first ball, hits through the off side, and scores quickly in the powerplay.
- Role: Wicketkeeper
- Team: Gulf Giants
- Batting: Right-handed
- Born: 28 November 2001
The $310,000 fee — paid through the Giants' right-to-match card — made him the second-most expensive player of the auction, behind only Liam Livingstone. The Giants broke the league's auction record twice in one afternoon, and Gurbaz was the second of those two signings. That is the scale of the franchise's ambition.
The opener who sets the tempo
Gurbaz's role is to open the batting with Ibrahim Zadran and set the tempo: attack the powerplay, score quickly, and give Buttler, Klaasen and Miller a platform to build on. His partnership with Zadran is an Afghan one — two batters who know each other's game from years of playing together for their country — and it is the opening pair the Giants have built their season around. He will also keep wicket, which gives Buttler the option of playing as a pure batter if the side needs it.
His family subplot writes itself: his younger brother Masood plays for Dubai Capitals, after switching his allegiance to the UAE. If both brothers play in the same match — Gulf Giants against Dubai Capitals on 28 November or 10 December — it will be one of the stories of the season.
A batting order with no end
Gulf Giants' batting is the strongest in the league on paper: Gurbaz and Zadran open, Buttler, Klaasen, Miller and Livingstone follow, and the side does not stop batting until the tail. Gurbaz is the player who starts that batting order — the opener whose powerplay scoring decides whether the middle order bats with freedom or under pressure. On Sharjah's small ground, where the Giants play twice early, his hitting is worth more than anywhere else in the league.
What’s next
The Giants open away from home, and their record opener gets his first outing in Sharjah: Sharjah Warriorz on Sunday 22 November, in the afternoon.
- Match 2 — vs Sharjah Warriorz: Sunday 22 November 2026, afternoon session, Sharjah.
- Match 5 — vs MI Emirates: Tuesday 24 November 2026, evening session, Dubai.
- Match 10 — vs Dubai Capitals: Saturday 28 November 2026, evening session, Dubai.
Qualifier 1 is on Tuesday 16 December, the Eliminator on Wednesday 17 December, Qualifier 2 on Friday 18 December in Sharjah, and the final on Sunday 20 December in Dubai.
The full list of every ILT20 fixture is on the ILT20 Schedule page. Follow every result as it happens on SialTV, with the points table updated after every match day.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Gulf Giants pay for Rahmanullah Gurbaz?
He was kept through the right-to-match card at the Season 5 auction for $310,000, the second-biggest buy of the sale.
What did Rahmanullah Gurbaz do at the 2024 T20 World Cup?
He finished as the tournament's top run-scorer with 281 runs, as Afghanistan reached the semi-finals for the first time.
When is Gulf Giants' first match?
Match 2 against Sharjah Warriorz on Sunday 22 November 2026, in the afternoon session, in Sharjah.