The Pretoria Capitals have secured Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz for the SA20 2025 season. Gurbaz will be reuniting with Jonathan Trott, who led Afghanistan to their first-ever World Cup semi-final in June. Trott, recently appointed as the Capitals' head coach, takes over from Graham Ford, who left the role last month.
At just 22, Gurbaz is already a prominent figure in T20 cricket and is currently competing for Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the Global T20 Canada. This will be his debut in the SA20, though he has previously played for the Capitals’ ILT20 franchise in Dubai, where he scored 146 runs in eight innings at an average of 18.25 and a strike rate of 155.31. Gurbaz also has IPL experience, having won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year.
Gurbaz's impressive T20I record includes being the top run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, accumulating 281 runs in eight innings at an average of 35.12 and a strike rate of 124.33.
He will join a strong squad that includes Wayne Parnell, Will Jacks, Rilee Rossouw, Jimmy Neesham, Anrich Nortje, and new signing Ollie Pope for the upcoming season.