Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Mujeeb Ur Rahman – Cricketer From Afganistan
If Shoaib Akhtar stunned the cricket world with his insane pace, and Anil Kumble with his phenomenal accuracy, then Mujeeb Ur Rahman, an Afghan professional cricketer, stands out for a completely different quality – unpredictability. Known as a “mystery spinner”, he brilliantly mixes off-spin with leg-spin and, using a rich arsenal of techniques, including the googly and the carrom ball, turns every delivery into a seriously tricky puzzle for batters of any level.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: Biography and Sporting Career
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, whose full name is Mujeeb Ur Rahman Zadran, was born on March 28, 2001, in the city of Khost, the capital of the province of the same name in southeastern Afghanistan. Although he lost his father while still an infant, his Pashtun family was considered well-off and fairly wealthy by Afghan standards. After his father’s death, Mujeeb’s mother moved with her four sons to her parents’ home in Khost. The spacious family estate, with a large playing area in the yard, became the place where the future athlete took his first steps in cricket, spending hours polishing his bowling.
“I used to bowl to my uncle from a very young age. And I bowled with a mindset that I was already playing at the international level. Right from the beginning, I got a chance to bowl to international players,” Mujeeb recalled in an interview with the respected publication The Times of India.
A curious fact: the uncle Mujeeb was talking about is none other than Noor Ali Zadran, the famous national team batter and one of the key figures in popularising cricket in Afghanistan. His son, Ibrahim Zadran, also went on to become a national team player, cementing the Zadran family’s status as one of Afghanistan’s cricketing dynasties.
After completing his early training at the cricket academy founded by his uncle, Ur Rahman made his debut in the official structure of Afghanistan‘s domestic cricket championship at the age of 15. In 2017, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was called up to Afghanistan’s Under-19 national team for an away series against their peers from Bangladesh. Across the five-match series, he picked up a total of 17 wickets, including a stunning 7/19 in the fourth match.
Soon after, at the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, the athlete confirmed his status as one of Afghanistan’s brightest young prospects. Taking 20 wickets in 5 matches and producing figures of 5/13 in the victorious final against Pakistan, Mujeeb helped his country win its first gold at the tournament and, just a couple of weeks later, earned a well-deserved call-up to the senior national team.
The young bowler’s very first appearance in the ODI format against Ireland turned into a major sensation and the best debut in the history of Afghan cricket: 4 wickets and the Player of the Match award. In February 2018, he made his T20I debut, and in June of the same year, he took the field in Afghanistan’s historic first-ever Test match against India.
In a short period of time, Mujeeb went from a talented junior to a key player for Afghanistan and a star of franchise leagues, building up an impressive list of individual and team achievements:
- 2017: winner of the ACC U19 Asia Cup with Afghanistan U19s, taking 20 wickets in 5 matches, and named the tournament’s best bowler; ODI debut against Ireland with figures of 4/24 and the Player of the Match award;
- 2018: became the youngest player in history to take 5 wickets in an ODI, claiming 5/50 against Zimbabwe at the age of 16 years and 325 days; became the first player born in the 21st century to play a Test match;
- 2019: took part in the ODI World Cup in England and was recognised as the national team’s “rising star” at the end of the tournament;
- 2020: recorded his first five-for in overseas franchise cricket, taking 5/15 for Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League;
- 2021: became the first bowler in history to take 5 wickets, 5/20 against Scotland, in his debut match at a T20 World Cup;
- 2024: reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals with Afghanistan’s national team, although he was ruled out with an injury before the Super Eight stage; for the first time in his career, broke into the top three of the ICC rankings for the world’s best T20I bowlers;
- 2025: signed a contract with one of the most decorated clubs in the IPL, Mumbai Indians.
After suffering a right-hand injury in 2023 and making a successful recovery, he has been actively playing for Afghanistan’s national team and in leading T20 leagues. In 2026, the bowler continues to shine in the IPL for Mumbai Indians and, at the moment, holds his place in the top 10 of the ICC rankings for the best bowlers in the world.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: Personal Life and Interesting Facts
Not much is known about Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s personal life, as he leads quite a private lifestyle, which is fairly traditional for Pashtun culture. One thing is known for certain: Mujeeb is married. The wedding took place in Kabul in November 2020. Almost all the stars of the national team, including Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib, came to congratulate the young player at the private ceremony.
To wrap things up, here is a selection of interesting facts about the athlete, along with his playing statistics:
- Zadran tribe: Mujeeb comes from the ancient and influential Pashtun Zadran tribe;
- Football: the athlete is a big football fan and has supported Spain’s Real Madrid since childhood;
- Video games: like many people of his generation, Mujeeb loves spending time playing video games;
- English language: the cricketer still speaks English very poorly and prefers to communicate in Pashto or through an interpreter.
Mujeeb is one of the most conservative modern Asian athletes when it comes to running social media. On his Instagram: @mujeeb_zadran, X, formerly Twitter: @Mujeeb_R88 and Facebook: @Mujeeb.Rahman99, you will not find photos of his home or family. Around 90% of all his accounts are dedicated strictly to sport and are tightly moderated.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Bat Avg | Top Score | Balls bowled | Wickets | Bowl Avg | Best Bowl | Catches |
| Test | 1 | 18 | 9.00 | 15 | 90 | 1 | 75.00 | 1/75 | 0 |
| ODI | 75 | 236 | 9.07 | 64 | 3 968 | 101 | 28.34 | 5/50 | 11 |
| T20I | 65 | 85 | 9.44 | 23 | 1 450 | 87 | 18.10 | 5/20 | 17 |
| T20s | 292 | 437 | 8.74 | 34 | 6 616 | 323 | 23.15 | 5/15 | 58 |
| List A | 80 | 290 | 9.66 | 64 | 4 817 | 122 | 27.78 | 5/15 | 14 |
| FC | 1 | 18 | 9.00 | 15 | 90 | 1 | 75.00 | 8/39 | 0 |
