Kolkata Knight Riders are faced with the task of choosing between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock as their first-choice wicketkeeper-opener in IPL 2025. While the Afghan star has been associated with the defending champions since 2023, the ex-LSG keeper-batter’s services were acquired by KKR for Rs 3.60 crore. Only one of them stand a chance of finding a place in the playing XI. Who could it be?
Who will be KKR’s keeper-opener in IPL 2025?
Gurbaz has played 14 matches for KKR and has amassed 289 runs and 15 catches. In T20s, the Afghanistan star has 5054 runs, 115 catches and 15 stumpings from 211 matches. However, his form has been poor in the recent past. In SA20 2025, he only managed to score 151 runs in 7 matches, with a high score of 89. Additionally, he had a poor string of outings in the Champions Trophy, registering scores of 0, 6 and 10 only.
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De Kock, on the other hand, is an experienced veteran – with both bat and gloves. Ever since making his IPL debut in 2013, the Proteas keeper-batter has amassed 3157 runs from 107 matches, averaging 31.26. With 67 catches and 15 stumpings, he was one of the best overseas keepers in the tournament. in SA20 2025, Quinton’s performance was on-par with Gurbaz’s, as he managed to score just 159 runs in 10 matches.
Like stated earlier, de Kock is way more experienced than Gurbaz and his T20 numbers are the proof. He has 10688 runs from 379 T20s, in which he also has 264 catches and 57 stumpings.
Going by the stats and recent form, de Kock has higher chances of getting picked in KKR’s XI ahead of Gurbaz. KKR do have a third wicketkeeper-batter option in the form of Luvnith Sisodia. However, only Gurbaz or de Kock will be preferred since both of them are openers cum keepers.
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