Gujarat Titans (GT) have reportedly recruited Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz as a replacement for England’s Jason Roy, who pulled out of the upcoming IPL 2022 tournament and took an indefinite break from cricket.
Cricbuzz also reported that Gurbaz, a wicketkeeper-batter, has been picked by the GT management keeping in mind the ongoing Wriddhiman Saha- Boria Majumdar saga. Saha is expected to be their first choice keeper but they wanted to have a backup option so as not to be caught off-guard by an unexpected turn of events.
Matthew Wade is the other keeper in GT ranks, but as per Cricket Australia (CA) decree, contracted Australian players will not be playing in IPL till April 6. The IPL starts on March 26 and Gujarat Titans play the other IPL debutants Lucknow Super Giants in their first game on March 28.
The contract papers of 20-year-old Gurbaz have been sent to the BCCI for approval. Gurbaz has played in nine ODIs and 20 T20Is in a 14-month burgeoning career. He had a base price of Rs 50 lakh but went unsold at the two-day auction recently.
Gurbaz will be joining compatriots Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad in the Gujarat team. He becomes the fifth Afghan in the league which also has Mohammad Nabi (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (Sunrisers Hyderabad) from the country.
Gurbaz shared a screenshot of a congratulatory message on joining GT in IPL 2022 on his Instagram story.
Here is it is:
(Cricbuzz inputs)
