Rahmanullah Gurbaz joins Peshawar Zalmi as direct signing for PSL 11

KARACHI: Former champions Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday announced Afghanistan wicketkeeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz as their direct signing ahead of the historic Pakistan Super League (PSL) players auction, scheduled to be held on February 11.

The 2017 champions made the announcement through their official social media handles by sharing a graphical poster of the Afghanistan international, wearing a traditional turban with mountains in the background.

The poster also featured a famous Pashto phrase, 'Pakhair Raghlay', meaning welcome.

"We are proud to confirm the direct signing of Afghanistan's star wicketkeeper-batter, [Rahmanullah Gurbaz]," the franchise captioned the post.

"Explosive with the bat. Lightning-fast behind the stumps. A gun fielder with extraordinary energy. A warm welcome to the Zalmi Fam," it added.

Notably, Zalmi did not reveal the amount at which it signed Gurbaz, who has been a key figure of the Afghanistan men's cricket team since making his international debut in 2019, having represented the side in two Tests, 52 ODIs and 83 T20Is.

Gurbaz is one of the most sought-after Afghan cricketers in franchise leagues across the globe, having featured in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), SA20 and ILT20.

The 24-year-old has also played three PSL seasons, representing Multan Sultans in 2021, while his remaining two stints came with three-time champions Islamabad United in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

In his budding PSL career, Gurbaz has thus far played 15 matches and scored 318 runs at a dismal average of 22.71 with the help of one half-century.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz will join star Pakistan batter Babar Azam, alongside Sufiyan Muqeem, Abdul Samad and Ali Raza, who were retained by Peshawar Zalmi in the Platinum, Diamond, Gold and Silver categories, respectively.