Rahmanullah Gurbaz LEAVES Ailing Mother For ‘Other Family’ Kolkata Knight Riders

Ahmedabad: Phil Salt left for England just ahead of the IPL 2024 playoffs and that meant it the Kolkata Knight Riders needed a new opener. One knew it would be Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz who would take over, but no one knew how he would turn up. But, the Afghanistani opener came up with the goods with the bat as he provided KKR the perfect start in the 160-run chase. Gurbaz hit 23 off 14 balls to provide KKR the platform in the chase. His knock was laced two boundaries and two sixes.

Following the eight-wicket win, Gurbaz revealed that he left his ailing mother in the hospital to play the game for the Knight Riders.

“My mom is still sick. I went there (back home in Afghanistan). I got a call from KKR once Phil Salt was leaving. They called me and messaged me, saying, ‘Gurbaz, we need you; what is your situation?’. I said I’ll come. My mother is still recovering in the hospital, I speak to her every day. But I knew my KKR was also my family. They needed me here. So I came back from Afghanistan. It’s hard, it’s tough but I have to manage,” Gurbaz said in the post-match press conference at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmadabad.

With this win, KKR became the first team to book their place in the final to be played in Chennai on May 26. This was also KKR’s fourth entry in an IPL final after 2012, 2014 and 2021. While the Purple and Gold won the title in 2012 and 2014, KKR lost to Chennai Super Kings in 2021.