Rahmanullah Gurbaz becomes first Afghanistan batter to score IPL fifty

Kolkata Knight Riders racked up 204/7 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ninth match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Knight Riders, who were 89/5 at one stage, benefitted from Shardul Thakur's heroics. Rinku Singh shared a century stand with Shardul. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone of KKR's innings with a historic half-century.

KKR had a patchy start after RCB skipper Faf du Plessis elected to field. Although Gurbaz was alive and kicking, KKR lost Venkatesh Iyer as Willey knocked him over. Willey then sent back Mandeep Singh on the next delivery. The Knight Riders managed 47/2 in the first six overs (Powerplay). Gurbaz slammed 27 off 25 balls in this phase.

Gurbaz, who opened alongside Iyer, was the only batter in the top five to break free. He continued with his immaculate strokes as he lost partners on the other end. Gurbaz brought up his maiden IPL fifty in the 10th over with a maximum off Karn Sharma. The former is the first player from Afghanistan to smash an IPL fifty (57 off 44 balls).

Gurbaz is one of the rising stars in T20 cricket. The Knight Riders traded the Afghanistan batter from Gujarat Titans ahead of the ongoing season. Gurbaz is an owner of over 3,100 runs in the format, having played 126 matches. He has a strike rate of over 150. Gurbaz has now raced to 20 T20 half-centuries and also owns a ton.