Ghazanfar Out of Champions Trophy & IPL, Kharote Replaces Him

By siliconindia  |  Wednesday, 12 February 2025, 10:22:13 AM IST

Ghazanfar Out of Champions Trophy & IPL, Kharote Replaces Him
Afghanistan’s promising young spinner, AM Ghazanfar, has been ruled out of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Wednesday. His injury, sustained during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe late last year, will sideline him for a minimum of four months, forcing him to miss both the Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Ghazanfar, the 18-year-old right-arm fingerspinner, had recently earned his maiden IPL contract with Mumbai Indians but will now be unavailable for the tournament, which is scheduled between March 21 and May 25. Despite his promising start to international cricket, the injury setback halts his momentum after claiming 21 wickets in 11 ODIs. Following the Zimbabwe tour, he played three games for MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20 league in January but struggled to make an impact, managing just one wicket while conceding at an economy rate of 9.48.
To fill the void left by Ghazanfar, Afghanistan has called up Nangeyalia Kharote, the 20-year-old left-arm spinner, who was originally in the list of reserves. Kharote, who last played for Afghanistan during the ODI series against Bangladesh in Sharjah in November 2024, was instrumental in his team’s victory in the second game, taking 3 for 28. Since making his international debut in March 2024, he has featured in seven ODIs and six T20Is.
Afghanistan’s spin department remains formidable with the likes of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi, though they continue to miss Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Mujeeb, who last played for Afghanistan during the Zimbabwe tour, completed a full season in SA20 with Paarl Royals but has not been included in the Champions Trophy squad. The ACB stated that Mujeeb will remain unavailable “until he has fully recovered.”
Afghanistan Squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran, Noor Ahmad.

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