"My mother is still recovering in the hospital" - Rahmanullah Gurbaz's revelation after KKR's win over SRH in IPL 2024 Qualifier 1
Afghanistan and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has revealed that his mother is still recovering from an illness in a hospital back home. However, he stated that he is happy to fulfill his responsibility towards the Knight Riders.
Gurbaz, who played fairly consistently in IPL 2023, did not get an opportunity until the Qualifier 1 fixture against the SunRisers Hyderabad due to the success of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine at the top of the order. The two-time champions needed his services after Salt left the camp ahead of the playoffs.
The right-handed batter smashed a brisk 23, stitching together a breezy 44-run opening stand with Narine. He laid the foundation for an eight-wicket victory.
Speaking at a presser after Kolkata's resounding victory, the 22-year-old said:
"My mother is still recovering in the hospital, I speak to her every day. But I knew my KKR family needed me here once Phil Salt left. So I came back from Afghanistan, and I'm happy to be here. My mother is happy for me too."
Mitchell Starc's new-ball burst was critical in restricting the SunRisers to 159, and he finished as the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-0-34-3. Later, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer slammed rapid half-centuries as KKR won with eight wickets to spare.
KKR have won 2 out of 3 IPL finals
The eight-wicket win ensured that the Knight Riders reached their fourth IPL final in history.
With Gautam Gambhir as captain, Kolkata won two tournament deciders in 2012 and 2014, beating the Chennai Super Kings and the Punjab Kings respectively. However, the 2021 edition saw them lose to the Super Kings in the final in Dubai.
Shreyas Iyer's men will face one of the Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and SunRisers Hyderabad in the final in Chennai on May 26.