Noor Ahmad Biography 2026: CPL, IPL & Career Stats
Noor Ahmad is an Afghan left-arm wrist-spinner born on 3 January 2005 in Khost Province. He plays for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and St Lucia Kings in the CPL, where he was 2024’s Player of the Tournament and title winner. He’s also a regular in Afghanistan’s white-ball squads.
Noor Ahmad is one of Afghanistan’s fastest-rising white-ball bowlers, known for his rare left-arm wrist spin. Since his 2019 first-class debut at 14, he’s played across nearly every major T20 league, won the 2024 CPL title with St Lucia Kings as Player of the Tournament, and became Chennai Super Kings’ leading IPL wicket-taker in 2025. He returns to St Lucia Kings for CPL 2026 (7 August–20 September) after skipping the 2025 edition for The Hundred.
Noor Ahmad Profile
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Noor Ahmad Lakanwal |
| Nickname | Noor |
| Date of Birth | 3 January 2005 |
| Age | 21 years (as of July 2026) |
| Birthplace | Lakan Spinki Bori village, Khost Province, Afghanistan |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Left-arm wrist spin (chinaman) |
| Playing Role | Bowler |
| Jersey Number | 15 (Afghanistan, IPL, CPL, MLC); 99 (SA20) |
| Current International Team | Afghanistan |
| Current CPL Team | St Lucia Kings |
| IPL Team | Chennai Super Kings |
| PSL Team | Formerly Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators |
| Other Franchise Teams | Melbourne Renegades (BBL), Galle Gladiators/Dambulla Aura (LPL), Durban’s Super Giants (SA20), Texas Super Kings (MLC), Manchester Originals (The Hundred) |
| International Debut | T20I: 14 June 2022 vs Zimbabwe; ODI: 30 November 2022 vs Sri Lanka |
| Marital Status | Not publicly confirmed |
| Estimated Net Worth | Roughly $1–1.5 million (unofficial estimate; see Net Worth section) |
| Official X (Twitter) | @noor_ahmad_15 |
Early Life
Noor Ahmad was born on 3 January 2005 in the village of Lakan Spinki Bori in Khost Province, in eastern Afghanistan, the youngest of eight children. He started playing cricket informally as a child and joined a local academy at around age 12, a fairly late start by the standards of today’s franchise circuit, which makes his subsequent rise even more striking.
He grew up during a period when Afghanistan’s national team was becoming a genuine source of pride and unity in the country, and, like most Afghan cricketers of his generation, he cites Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman as the players who made a left-arm wrist-spinner from a small province believe international cricket was possible. Formal schooling details haven’t been independently verified beyond general reporting that he balanced early cricket training with his education.
Early Cricket Journey: His unorthodox left-arm wrist spin — a genuinely rare skill even among professional bowlers — set him apart quickly. Scouts noticed him in domestic age-group cricket, and by his mid-teens, he was already being flagged as one of the most promising young spinners to come out of Afghanistan since Rashid Khan himself.
Domestic Career
Noor Ahmad’s domestic debut came remarkably early:
- First-Class debut: 29 April 2019, for Kabul Region in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-Day Tournament, aged just 14.
- T20 debut: 8 October 2019, for Mis Ainak Knights in the Shpageeza Cricket League.
- List A debut: 14 October 2020, for Mis Ainak Region in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One-Day Tournament.
His performances in age-group cricket — including a strong showing at the 2020 U19 World Cup and 10 wickets at the 2022 U19 World Cup — were the springboard that got him noticed by franchise scouts internationally, well before he had played a single senior international match.
International Career
Noor made his senior debut for Afghanistan in a T20I against Zimbabwe on 14 June 2022, taking 4 wickets and winning Player of the Match on debut — an immediate statement of intent. His ODI debut followed on 30 November 2022, against Sri Lanka.
Key milestones:
- 2023 ODI World Cup (India): Made his World Cup debut on 23 October 2023 against Pakistan in Chennai — at 18 years old, the youngest debutant in that tournament.
- 2024 T20 World Cup: Part of the Afghanistan squad that reached its first-ever T20 World Cup semi-final, a landmark moment for the program.
- 2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Picked up important wickets against Australia and South Africa, continuing to build his reputation as a middle-overs enforcer at the very top level.
- 2026 T20 World Cup: Featured for Afghanistan in the group stage (including against South Africa), though he was left out of the XI for at least one match — against New Zealand at Chennai — as Afghanistan opted for a different bowling combination.
Since the start of 2025 alone, Noor has taken over 90 wickets across roughly 70-plus T20 matches for club and country combined — a workload and strike rate that few bowlers of any age can match.
Franchise Cricket Career
Noor Ahmad is one of the most well-travelled young players in world cricket, having featured across nearly every major T20 league:
| League | Team(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Premier League | St Lucia Zouks / St Lucia Kings | CPL 2024 champion; leading wicket-taker of the tournament |
| Indian Premier League | Gujarat Titans (2022–24), Chennai Super Kings (2025–26) | 2023 IPL finalist with GT; CSK’s leading wicket-taker in 2025 |
| Pakistan Super League | Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators | Debut Feb 2022 |
| Big Bash League | Melbourne Renegades | Signed at 15, youngest player in BBL history at the time |
| SA20 | Durban’s Super Giants | Best T20 figures of his career, 5/11 vs Paarl Royals (2024) |
| Lanka Premier League | Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Aura | |
| Major League Cricket | Texas Super Kings | |
| The Hundred | Manchester Originals | Prioritised over CPL in 2025 |
| ILT20 | Sharjah Warriorz (contracted, did not fulfil) | Handed a 12-month ILT20 ban in Feb 2024 after choosing SA20 over a signed ILT20 contract |
Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Career
The CPL has become one of the defining chapters of Noor Ahmad’s franchise career, and it’s the tournament where he first announced himself as a genuine match-winner rather than just a promising teenager.
CPL Team History: He was originally named in the St Lucia Zouks squad back in 2020, at just 15, but didn’t feature that season. By the time he actually made his CPL debut, the franchise had been rebranded to St Lucia Kings.
CPL 2024 — the breakout season: Noor’s actual CPL debut came in 2024, and it was one of the standout individual seasons in the tournament’s recent history. He went wicketless on debut but bounced back immediately, taking three wickets in his next outing and winning Player of the Match.
- 22 wickets in 12 matches — comfortably the leading wicket-taker in CPL 2024
- Bowling average around 13, economy in the low 6s
- Named Player of the Tournament
- Helped St Lucia Kings win their maiden CPL title, beating Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final, where he took 3/19 in the decider
CPL 2025 — the season he skipped: Noor opted to play in England’s The Hundred instead of returning to the CPL in 2025, a decision ESPN’s tournament preview specifically flagged as a notable loss for St Lucia Kings’ bowling attack. It’s a reminder of how competitive — and how lucrative — the modern T20 calendar has become, even for a 20-year-old.
CPL 2026 — the season ahead: Noor Ahmad is confirmed to be back with St Lucia Kings for CPL 2026, part of the franchise’s overseas contingent announced ahead of the tournament, which runs from 7 August to 20 September 2026. This edition is notable for CPL as a whole: it expands to seven teams with the addition of Jamaica Kingsmen, and the Barbados franchise has reverted to its old Barbados Tridents branding.
What to expect in CPL 2026: Given his reigning-champion pedigree and his current IPL form as CSK’s spin spearhead, Noor is likely to walk straight back into the Kings’ first-choice XI as their primary middle-overs wicket-taker. Expect him to bowl the bulk of his overs in the 7th–16th over bracket, targeting right-handers with his stock googly, much as he did in his title-winning 2024 campaign.
Fantasy Cricket Value: Historically excellent — his 2024 CPL Fan Rating of 7.6 was the best of any St Lucia Kings player that season, driven almost entirely by wickets rather than economy, which matters for points-per-wicket fantasy formats.
Playing Style
Strengths:
- A genuinely rare skill set: left-arm wrist spin (the “chinaman”) combined with a fast, flat arm action that generates extra pace off the pitch relative to most spinners
- Excellent control of the googly, which he uses as his primary wicket-taking delivery, especially against right-handers
- Composure well beyond his years — he has taken wickets on debut in almost every format and league he’s entered
- Strong record in the middle overs (7–16), where his ability to both attack and contain makes him valuable in modern T20 team compositions
Weaknesses:
- Economy rate can climb against left-handers who use their feet, since his stock ball (the googly) turns into them
- As a young bowler asked to play an enormous volume of franchise cricket, workload management and occasional dips in form (as seen briefly around the 2026 T20 World Cup) are a real consideration
Comparison with similar players: He’s most often compared to Rashid Khan for his calmness under pressure, though their bowling actions and stock deliveries differ — Rashid is a conventional leg-spinner, while Noor’s left-arm wrist spin is a much rarer craft, closer in kind to bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav (a fellow left-arm wrist-spinner), albeit with a flatter, quicker trajectory.
Career Statistics
| Formt | Match | Wicket | B/BW | Ave | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 14+ | 18+ | 4/10 | ~30s | ~7.0 |
| ODI | 10+ | 9–10 | 3/49 | high 50s | ~6.0 |
| IPL (career) | 30+ | 48–52 | 4/18 | high teens–20s | ~8.3 |
| CPL (2024 season) | 12 | 22 | — | ~13.2 | ~6.3 |
| All T20 cricket | 100+ | 200+ | 5/11 | mid-20s | ~7.3 |
Records & Achievements
- 2024: CPL champion and Player of the Tournament with St Lucia Kings — 22 wickets in 12 matches
- 2023: 16 wickets in his maiden IPL season, helping Gujarat Titans reach the final; took 2/18 in the final itself, including the wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway
- 2025: CSK’s leading wicket-taker and the IPL’s second-highest wicket-taker overall, with 24 wickets in 14 matches, including a stunning 4/18 debut spell for CSK against the Mumbai Indians
- Youngest player in Big Bash League history at the time of his Melbourne Renegades signing (age 15)
- Youngest debutant at the 2023 ODI World Cup (age 18)
- Best T20 bowling figures of his career: 5/11 for Durban’s Super Giants in SA20 2024
- Third-best bowling figures on T20I debut among full-member nations
Latest Form
Since the start of 2025, Noor Ahmad has taken more than 90 wickets across roughly 70+ T20 matches for club and country — an exceptional strike rate by any measure. His 2026 IPL season with CSK continued to build on his breakout 2025 campaign, and he entered the CPL 2026 window as a confirmed St Lucia Kings player after being left out of Afghanistan’s XI for at least one 2026 T20 World Cup fixture due to team balance rather than form or fitness concerns.
Personal Life
Noor Ahmad keeps his personal life notably private, and much of what circulates online about his family and relationship status is unverified or contradictory across sources. What is reliably documented:
- He is the youngest of eight children from a family based in Khost Province
- He credits an older sibling with recognising his talent and encouraging him toward serious cricket training
- He is widely described by teammates and coaches as calm, humble, and unusually mature for his age
- Rashid Khan, his Afghanistan and former Gujarat Titans teammate, is frequently cited as a mentor figure
Claims about his marital status circulating on some fan sites are inconsistent with verified biographical details (including his date of birth) and are not corroborated by credible sports journalism, so this piece doesn’t repeat them. As of publication, his marital status has not been publicly confirmed by Noor Ahmad or credible outlets.
Net Worth
Noor Ahmad’s net worth is not officially disclosed, and estimates online vary considerably — from around $850,000 to $1.5 million. What’s clearer is where his income comes from:
- IPL contracts: ₹30 lakh per season with Gujarat Titans (2022–24), then a big step up to ₹10 crore with Chennai Super Kings from 2025, retained at the same fee for 2026
- CPL, PSL, BBL, SA20, LPL, and MLC contracts, which for a player of his profile typically run into the tens of thousands of dollars per tournament
- Afghanistan Cricket Board central contract
- Sponsorships and endorsements, though specific brand deals aren’t widely publicized
Treat any specific net-worth figure you see for Noor Ahmad as an estimate rather than a confirmed number.
Interesting Facts
- He made his first-class debut at just 14 years old.
- He signed with the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL at 15, becoming the league’s youngest-ever player at the time.
- His international T20I debut delivered an immediate Player of the Match award — 4 wickets against Zimbabwe.
- He was the youngest debutant at the 2023 ODI World Cup, aged 18.
- He formed a potent spin partnership with Rashid Khan at the Gujarat Titans across two IPL seasons.
- He helped the Gujarat Titans reach the 2023 IPL final in his debut season, taking 16 wickets.
- He was CSK’s most expensive buy at the 2025 IPL auction, at ₹10 crore.
- His CSK debut spell — 4/18 against the Mumbai Indians — remains one of the best bowling figures by a CSK spinner.
- He won the CPL 2024 title and was named Player of the Tournament in his very first CPL season.
- He received a 12-month ILT20 ban in early 2024 for a contractual breach after prioritising SA20 over Sharjah Warriorz.
- He is the youngest of eight siblings.
- He is Afghanistan’s rare left-arm wrist-spinner, a skill set shared by very few bowlers worldwide.
- He skipped CPL 2025 to play in The Hundred, choosing Manchester Originals instead.
- He wears the number 15 jersey across most of his teams, but switches to 99 for SA20.
- He was part of Afghanistan’s squad for their first-ever T20 World Cup semi-final appearance in 2024.
Career Timeline
- 2019: First-class and T20 domestic debuts, aged 14
- 2020: Signed by St Lucia Zouks (CPL) and Melbourne Renegades (BBL), aged 15
- 2022: IPL debut franchise (Gujarat Titans) signing; senior international debut (T20I, then ODI) for Afghanistan
- 2023: IPL debut season — 16 wickets, reaches the final with Gujarat Titans; ODI World Cup debut, youngest in the tournament
- 2024: T20 World Cup semi-finalist with Afghanistan; ILT20 ban; CPL debut season — champion and Player of the Tournament with St Lucia Kings
- 2025: Signed by Chennai Super Kings for ₹10 crore; leading IPL wicket-taker for CSK (24 wickets); skips CPL for The Hundred; features in the Champions Trophy
- 2026: Retained by CSK for IPL 2026; features at the 2026 T20 World Cup; returns to St Lucia Kings for CPL 2026 (7 August–20 September)
FAQs
How old is Noor Ahmad?
He was born on 3 January 2005, making him 21 years old as of mid-2026.
Where is Noor Ahmad from?
Khost Province, Afghanistan — specifically the village of Lakan Spinki Bori, according to Wikipedia and ESPNcricinfo.
What is Noor Ahmad’s bowling style?
Left-arm wrist spin, also known as “chinaman” bowling — a rare skill shared by very few bowlers in world cricket.
Which IPL team does Noor Ahmad play for?
Chennai Super Kings, having been bought for ₹10 crore in the 2025 auction and retained for 2026. He previously played for the Gujarat Titans (2022–2024).
Which CPL team does Noor Ahmad play for?
St Lucia Kings. He won the CPL title with them in 2024, skipped the 2025 season, and returns for CPL 2026.
When is CPL 2026?
7 August to 20 September 2026, expanding to a seven-team format with the addition of Jamaica Kingsmen.
What is Noor Ahmad’s best CPL performance?
His debut CPL season in 2024 stands out overall — 22 wickets in 12 matches, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, and Player of the Tournament as St Lucia Kings won the title.
Did Noor Ahmad play CPL 2025?
No — he chose to play in England’s The Hundred (for Manchester Originals) instead that year.
What is Noor Ahmad’s jersey number?
15, for Afghanistan, IPL, CPL, and MLC. He wears 99 in SA20 for Durban’s Super Giants.
Is Noor Ahmad married? His marital status has not been publicly confirmed by credible sources.
What is Noor Ahmad’s net worth? Unofficial estimates range roughly from $850,000 to $1.5 million; no confirmed figure has been released.
What is Noor Ahmad’s highest IPL wicket haul in a spell? 4 wickets for 18 runs, on his CSK debut against the Mumbai Indians in March 2025.
Has Noor Ahmad played Test cricket? There is no widely reported Test debut for Noor Ahmad as of mid-2026; his international career has been built almost entirely around white-ball cricket.
Why was Noor Ahmad banned from ILT20?
In February 2024, the ILT20 handed him a 12-month ban for breaching his contract with Sharjah Warriorz after he chose to play in South Africa’s SA20 instead.
Who does Noor Ahmad credit as his cricketing inspiration?
Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, both fellow Afghan spinners; Rashid later became his teammate at both the Gujarat Titans and with the national team.
What is Noor Ahmad’s playing role?
Specialist bowler, batting right-handed lower down the order when required, but not regarded as an all-rounder.
