Who Is Karim Janat? Afghanistan Star Who Aims to Be a ‘Mix of Rohit Sharma and Shoaib Akhtar’, Debuts for GT vs RR In IPL 2025

Karim Janat made his IPL debut for GT vs RR in IPL 2025. (Image via Screengrab)

Janat is the younger brother of former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan. He made a name for himself in the 2016 U-19 World Cup, scoring 273 runs. Thereafter, he also honed his bowling skills and can regularly reach speeds of 140 clicks. In the 2017 edition of the Ghazi Amanullah Regional ODI Tournament, he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker.

Speaking about his love for the game and his familial ties, Janat also revealed how he developed a passion towards cricket. “We are nine brothers, and Asghar went to cricket, seeing his elder brother. I also liked to play tennis ball cricket, but I used to study a lot. Later I went to Kabul Cricket Academy and the love for the game started from there. Seven of my nine brothers played cricket while Asghar and I represented the national team.”

RR vs GT

Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag won the toss and elected to field against Gujarat Titans.

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak