International career
Najibullah Zadran, born on February 28, 1993, is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler for Afghanistan, currently serving as the vice-captain of the national T20I team.
- 2011 – Played for Afghanistan Under-19s in the Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland.
- 2012 – Took part in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup for Afghan Cheetahs. Scored 51 against Rawalpindi Rams and dismissed Sohail Tanvir for his first wicket.
- 2018 – Led Afghanistan’s Under-23 team in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
- 2019 – Scored a century in an ODI against Ireland in March. Joined Afghanistan’s squad for the Cricket World Cup.
- 2021 – Became vice-captain of the T20I team in July. Included in the squad for the T20 World Cup.
- 2022 – Played a key role in Afghanistan’s victory over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Scored 43 runs from 17 balls with six sixes. Set records:
- First Afghan player to hit 50 sixes in T20I matches.
- Surpassed Eoin Morgan and Thisara Perera with 18 sixes in T20I matches.
- First Afghan player to reach 50 sixes in international cricket.
- 2023 – Returned to the team for the Asia Cup after a knee injury. Missed the three-match series against Pakistan, where Afghanistan lost 3-0. Played an ODI in October at Arun Jaitley Stadium, India, and scored 2 runs from 8 balls.
- 2024 – Named in Afghanistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
- 2025 – Ranked 75th in the ICC T20 rankings with 423 points at 32 years old.
Leagues Participation
Najibullah Zadran played in different cricket leagues around the world. In the Lanka Premier League, he was part of Dambulla Giants in 2021, Kandy Falcons in 2022, and Galle Marvels in 2023-2024. Karachi Kings signed him for the Pakistan Super League in 2021. In the Caribbean Premier League, he played for St Lucia Zouks in 2019-2020 and later joined Barbados Royals in 2022. He took part in the Afghanistan Premier League with Kandahar in 2018. In the Bangladesh Premier League, he played for Chittagong Vikings, Khulna Tigers, and Chattogram Challengers in different seasons.
Lanka Premier League
Najibullah Zadran took part in multiple seasons of the Lanka Premier League, representing different teams. He played for the Dambulla Giants in 2021, then joined Kandy Falcons in 2022. In the 2023-2024 season, he was part of Galle Marvels. His performances included key contributions in matches, with notable innings in different editions of the tournament. In 2024, he also competed in the Super League Lanka T10.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2021
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Dambulla Giants
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Selected in the players' draft. Scored 77 runs in a match against Colombo Stars. Played 9 matches.
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2022
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Kandy Falcons
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Played 5 matches, scored 60 runs, and took no wickets.
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2023-2024
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Galle Marvels
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Played 3 matches. No major performances recorded.
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2024
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Super League Lanka T10
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Scored 26 runs in 15 innings.
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Pakistan Super League
Najibullah Zadran participated in the 2021 Pakistan Super League with Karachi Kings and returned for the 2023 season, playing for Quetta Gladiators. He was signed by Karachi Kings for the rescheduled matches and played a key role in a match against Islamabad United, scoring 71 runs. In 2023, he played for Quetta Gladiators and made an impressive 59 runs in a match against Islamabad United, although his team lost by two wickets.
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Year
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Team
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Matches Played
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Notes
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2021
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Karachi Kings
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5
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Scored 71 runs (42 balls) in a match against Islamabad United.
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2023
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Quetta Gladiators
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2
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Scored 59 runs (34 balls) in a match against Islamabad United.
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Caribbean Premier League
Najibullah Zadran participated in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) during the 2019-2020 seasons with St Lucia Zouks and later joined Barbados Royals in 2022. In 2020, he replaced Colin Ingram in the St Lucia Zouks squad and played a vital role in their victory against Barbados Tridents. In 2022, Zadran played a few matches for Barbados Royals, contributing to their campaign.
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Year
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Team
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Matches Played
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Notes
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2019-2020
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St Lucia Zouks
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14
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Played 14 matches across two seasons; contributed to a win against Barbados Tridents in 2020.
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2022
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Barbados Royals
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3
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Played 3 matches for Barbados Royals in the 2022 CPL.
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Afghanistan Premier League
Najibullah Zadran was part of the Kandahar team in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League in 2018, playing a total of 8 matches.
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Year
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Team
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Matches Played
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Notes
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2018
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Kandahar
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8
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Played 8 matches in the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League.
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Bangladesh Premier League
Najibullah Zadran has played in different seasons of the Bangladesh Premier League. He was part of Chittagong Vikings in 2017–2018/19, then joined Khulna Tigers in 2019–2020. In 2024, he played for Chattogram Challengers, where he led the team in scoring with 85 points in two innings.
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Year
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Team
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Matches Played
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Notes
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2017–2018/19
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Chittagong Vikings
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10
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Played for Chittagong Vikings in the 2017–2018/19 BPL.
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2019–2020
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Khulna Tigers
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8
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Played for Khulna Tigers in the 2019–2020 BPL.
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2024
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Chattogram Challengers
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7
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Scored 85 points in two innings during BPL 2024.
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Indian Premier League
Najibullah Zadran had a reserve price of ₹75 Lakhs for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, but no team selected him.
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Year
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Team
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Matches Played
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Notes
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2025
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None
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0
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No team bought him at the auction despite the ₹75 Lakhs reserve price.
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Domestic career
Najibullah Zadran has played in various domestic cricket leagues. He started his T20 career with the Afghan Cheetahs in the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup against the Rawalpindi Rams. He also captained the Afghanistan under-23 team in the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Zadran was part of Afghanistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
In domestic leagues, Zadran played for several teams. He joined the Montreal Tigers in the 2018 Global T20 Canada tournament and was later selected by Kandahar for the Afghanistan Premier League. He played for Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League, and in 2019, he joined the Winnipeg Hawks. Zadran also played for the Khulna Tigers in the 2019–2020 Bangladesh Premier League season.
In 2020, he was part of the St Lucia Zouks for the Caribbean Premier League and later joined Karachi Kings in the 2021 Pakistan Super League. Zadran represented Dambulla Giants in the 2021 Lanka Premier League. He played for the Barbados Royals in 2022 and, in 2024, joined Chattogram Challengers in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Other Leagues
Najibullah Zadran took part in the Global T20 Canada tournament in 2018 and 2019. In June 2018, he was selected to play for the Montreal Tigers in the inaugural edition of the tournament. The following year, in June 2019, Zadran was chosen to play for the Winnipeg Hawks in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament.
Records and achievements
Najibullah Zadran has reached several key milestones in his career:
- First player to hit 50 sixes in T20I matches
- Surpassed Eoin Morgan and Etala Peera with 18 sixes in T20I matches
- Ranked 75th in ICC T20 rankings with 423 points as of June 2024
- In 2022, scored 43 runs off 17 balls against Bangladesh, hitting 6 sixes and 4 fours
- In 2019, scored 69 runs off 30 balls against Zimbabwe, including 5 fours and 6 sixes
- Scored 60 runs off 35 balls against the UAE in the 2016 Asian Cup, helping Afghanistan win
- Captained Afghanistan’s U-23 team in the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup
- Scored his first ODI century in March 2019 against Ireland during the 2019 Cricket World Cup
- Signed a contract with Karachi Kings in April 2021 for the rescheduled Pakistan Super League matches
- Appointed vice-captain of Afghanistan’s national T20I team in July 2021
Personal life
Najibullah Zadran leads a relatively private life outside of cricket. Here is a glimpse into his personal details.
Family
The names and ages of Najibullah Zadran’s parents are not publicly known. His father supported his cricket journey, and his mother motivated him throughout. There is no information available about his siblings. Though he shares the same last name, he is not related to Ibrahim Zadran, who is from Khost. Najibullah was born in Logar.
Finance
In 2024, Najibullah Zadran’s net worth is around 2.5 million US dollars.
Scandals
In 2023, during a match between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Najibullah Zadran was hit by a ball between his neck and helmet. Though the injury was not serious, he had to leave the field for a short time.
Fans
Najibullah Zadran has a strong fan following with over 130,000 followers on Instagram. His performance in the 2022 Asian Cup, where he and teammate Ibrahim Zadran helped Afghanistan secure a 7-0 victory over Bangladesh, earned him praise.
