This Afghan star does what KL Rahul & Shikhar Dhawan might by no means do for Punjab Kings –

More than 100 players have represented the Punjab Kings (PBKS) jersey. Out of those, only a few have made a name for themselves. We are talking about the likes of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Adam Gilchrist. However, one PBKS debutant, in their IPL 2025 opening match against the Gujarat Titans (GT), did what no one has ever done.

What’s special about Omarzai’s PBKS debut?

Punjab Kings were put to bat first by Shubman Gill in Match 5 of IPL 2025. On a track that offered pace in Ahmedabad, PBKS had a terrific start. Youngster Priyansh Arya announced himself at the big stage, hammering a 23-ball 47 on his IPL debut. After the powerplay overs, PBKS put on 73/1. But they lost Arya to Rashid Khan in the first over after the powerplay.

This led Azmatullah Omarzai to the crease in the 7th over. Quite fascinatingly, Omarzai did something out of the ordinary. Facing his Afghan teammate on his very first ball, the skilful all-rounder hit a magnificent stroke down the ground to stun everyone. It was as clean as a whistle, landing straight behind the sight screen. Omarzai’s huge six made him the first player ever to hit a maximum on the first ball of his PBKS debut.

Soon after, Omarzai had to leave when he was holed out of Sai Kishore’s bowling. He made 16 off 15. Meanwhile, PBKS rode on Shreyas Iyer’s innings. The new PBKS captain hit some jaw-dropping blows, hammering 57 in his first 28 balls.