IPL 2024 | It's hard to leave ailing mother in hospital but KKR is family too, says Gurbaz

Ahmedabad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz is tending to his ailing mother in Afghanistan and he gets a call from Kolkata Knight Riders around a fortnight ago seeking his immediate services. The two-time champions were forced to send the SOS after regular opener Phil Salt was called up for England duty.

Wicketkeeper-batter Gurbaz, who chose to fly back home in early May as the franchise couldn’t find a place for him in the playing XI following Salt’s smashing form, was faced with a predicament — does he leave his bed-ridden mother or complete his commitment to another ‘family’.

After a brief discussion with his mother, the 22-year-old wicketkeeper decided to take the flight to Kolkata after realising the magnitude of the opportunity in front of him — opening the batting in the play-offs of IPL. How often does a young and aspiring cricketer get the chance to showcase his talent in such a crucial stage of cricket’s most popular league in the world?

“My mom is still sick. I went there (back home in Afghanistan). I got a call from KKR once Phil Salt left. They called me and messaged me, saying, ‘Gurbaz, we need you, what is your situation?’ I said ‘I will come’,” an emotional Gurbaz said on Wednesday after KKR hammered Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 to soar into the final. 

“My mother is still recovering in the hospital, I speak to her every day. But I knew 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, who opened for KKR for a majority of games last season scoring 227 runs in 11 innings before losing his place to Salt this year, showed why the franchise has a fondness for him with a fiery cameo that set up their chase beautifully against Sunrisers at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

Set a target 160, Gurbaz, another breed of ambitious Afghan cricketers who are becoming valuable assets in T20 leagues across the world, came out swinging in a 14-ball 23, a knock that included two monstrous sixes and two boundaries. While the knock in isolation isn’t anything significant, the start set KKR on course for a lop-sided win.

When asked how frustrating it was to lose his place to Salt and then forced to warm the benches, Gurbaz said as a foreign cricketer in IPL that allows only four overseas players in the XI, one needs to be patient and grab the opportunity when presented. “I should clarify this. As a cricketer, you know what to do. In league cricket, only four overseas players can play in the 11. If you have an opportunity, you should try and do well.

“If you do not have an opportunity, you should prepare well and be ready. Whenever you get a chance, you have to be ready.”