Gujarat Titans will definitely retain Rahamnullah Gurbaz: Wasim Jaffer

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been very impressive in the T20Is, and he has showcased his talent with the bat at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. In his recent game against Sri Lanka, Gurbaz played a record-breaking 45-ball 84-run knock, the highest individual score at the Asia Cup in the T20I format as he broke Rohit Sharma’s record that was set back in 2016.

Gurbaz was signed by Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022, but the wicketkeeper-batter did not get a chance to make it to the playing combination. The Hardik Pandya-led side, in their first ever stint at the IPL, went on to lift the title by defeating Rajasthan Royals in the finals and the team performed consistently throughout the tournament.

While speaking on BatBricks7 Presents Run Ki Runneeti show on CricTracker, Jaffer pointed out a probable reason why the 20-year-old Gurbaz was benched throughout the tournament and went on to state that the Titans will retain him for the upcoming 16^th edition of the cash-rich event as he said:

“I had said earlier that Rahmanullah Gurbaz is an exciting player and he should have gotten an opportunity to play at the IPL 2022, where he was with Gujarat Titans. He did not get an opportunity to play this season because Gujarat Titans had Matthew Wade for some time, and then Wriddhiman Saha. Also apart from that, Gujarat Titans were in great form throughout the season and they had a wonderful tournament.”

He might get a chance to play and be a part of the combination this time: Jaffer

IPL 2022 saw a mega auction in place as two new teams were introduced and several players participated as well. Afghanistan players have shined at the IPL, and the prime example of the same is Rashid Khan, who was Pandya’s deputy while representing the Gujarat Titans. Rashid Khan will surely pitch in for his teammate, and thus there are high chances of Gurbaz being seen in the combination this time around.

“So, when you win so many games on a trot, you don't need many changes in the playing combination because the team is in form, and that might have been a reason why Gurbaz did not get to play. He is an exciting player and I am sure Gujarat Titans will retain him for the next edition of the IPL, and about from that he might as well be given the chance to play and be a part of the combination,” Jaffer added.