Who is Shahbaz Ahmed? All you need to know about RCB and Bengal all-rounder, stats and more HERE

Shahbaz Ahmed, the 27-year-old left-arm all-rounder plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic matches for the Bengal cricket team. Shahbaz is replacing Washington Sundar as he's also a spinner with explosive batting skills under his belt. In the IPL 2022 auctions, Shahbaz was bought by RCB for Rs 2.4 crore after a bidding war between RCB and KKR finally came to an end for the talented left-handed all-rounder. He is now set to replace injured Washington Sundar for the 3-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.

In 2015, Shahbaz was a student of civil engineering when he told his father that he wants to achieve his dream of playing cricket despite failing to make it in the Haryana Under-19 team. His father agreed to his request of moving to Kolkata only on one condition, that he will complete his degree. Notably, his father worked as a clerk in the sub-divisional magistrate office in Haryana's Nuh district. (KL Rahul and co 'pool sessions' cancelled by BCCI due to THIS reason)

So happy for Shahbaz Ahmed he gets opportunity for India in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. He deserves to be in the India's squad, the way he performed in IPL and domestic tournaments it's outstanding. He replace Washington for ODI series against Zimbabwe. Good luck Shahbaz. pic.twitter.com/v3JtSlHi9P

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) August 16, 2022

It was not an easy road for the then-21-year-old as he was labelled as an 'outsider' when he moved to Kolkata to play in the Tapan Memorial Club (first division) and banned. Later on, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) removed the ban and now Shahbaz is one of the key assets to the team's performance more than six years down the line.

Shahbaz, who made his IPL debut in 2020, has now played a total of 29 games in the cash-rich league with 279 runs to his name and 13 wickets. He still has a long way to go and has shown great promise in his performances when given a chance. It will be interesting to see if he gets to make his debut for the Men in Blue in the ODI series against Zimbabwe.