Karim Janat

Karim Janat, the younger brother of former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan, made his mark early. At 18, he took three wickets and scored 25 against UAE in Dubai in December 2016, earning Player of the Match on his T20I debut. Two months later, he featured in his first ODI, against Zimbabwe in Harare in February 2017.

While his ODI career stalled, Janat became a regular in Afghanistan's T20I set-up. His standout performance came in Lucknow in 2019, when he returned figures of 5 for 11 to sink West Indies. He also contributed a match-winning 53 against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi in March 2021. Later that year, his unbeaten 42 against India narrowed the margin of defeat at the T20 World Cup. After a quiet period, he returned to form in February 2023 with scores of 53 and 56 not out against UAE, decisive in Afghanistan's 2-1 series win.

Janat debuted in Test cricket in June 2023, against Bangladesh, and played again in February 2024 against Ireland, though without wickets in either match. He was one of six allrounders in Afghanistan's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

In franchise leagues, Janat has played for Surrey Jaguars in Canada's Global T20, Gulf Giants in the ILT20, and several Bangladesh Premier League sides. At the IPL 2025 auction, Gujarat Titans signed him for INR 75 lakh but he conceded 30 runs in his only over, and game.