Pretoria Capitals sign Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz for SA20 2025 season

Pretoria: Pretoria Capitals have signed Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz for the SA20 2025 season. The opener will reunite with Jonathan Trott, under whom Afghanistan had reached their maiden World Cup semi-final in June.

Trott was announced as Capitals' new head coach replacing Graham Ford, who had left the role last month.

The 22-year-old was the leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA with 281 runs at an average of 35.21. Gurbaz struck three half-centuries, which included 16 sixes - the second most in the tournament - along with a further 18 boundaries.

Overall, Gurbaz has played 63 T20Is and scored 1657 runs at an average of 26.30 and strike-rate of 135.48. He is currently playing for Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the Global T20 Canada.

He made his T20I debut in September 2019 against Zimbabwe in a tri-series in Bangladesh, scoring 43 off 24 balls.

Gurbaz has shown to possess the Midas touch after being part of two successive Indian Premier League (IPL) winning teams. He won the IPL with the Gujarat Titans in 2023 before following it up with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the last season.

Gurbaz will be joining England batter Ollie Pope, who is another new addition and the likes of Wayne Parnell, Will Jacks, Rilee Rossouw, Jimmy Neesham, and Anrich Nortje, who were among the Capitals' retentions for the next season.