Zimbabwe’s T20 International captain Sikandar Raza was plunged into grief when his younger brother Mohammed Mahdi passed away on Monday, December 29, 2025, at the age of 13. Mahdi was laid to rest the next day at the Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare. The Zimbabwe Cricket Board said that Raza’s brother had haemophilia, a rare genetic bleeding disorder in which blood does not clot properly.

Zimbabwe Cricket issued an official statement regarding the incident

In its statement, the board said that Mahdi’s death was due to recent health complications. A Zimbabwe Cricket statement read, “Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) extends its deepest condolences to Zimbabwe’s T20 International captain, Sikandar Raza, and his family on the untimely passing of his beloved younger brother, Muhammad Mahdi, who passed away on 29 December 2025 in Harare at the age of 13. Muhammad Mahdi was a haemophiliac and sadly passed away following recent health issues. He was buried at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare on 30 December 2025.

The ZC Board, management, players and staff stand in solidarity with Sikandar Raza and his family at this very difficult time. May Allah grant them comfort and courage, and may Muhammad Mahdi’s soul rest in peace.” Raza responded to Zimbabwe Cricket’s message on his X handle with a broken heart emoji.

Sikandar Raza played in two IPL seasons for the Punjab Kings in 2023 and 2024. During this period, he scored 182 runs in nine matches at an average of 26.00 and a strike rate of 133.82. His highest score in the Indian Premier League was 57. Raza was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, on April 24, 1986. He moved to Zimbabwe in 2002.

Raza was last seen playing for Sharjah Warriors during the ILT20 2025 campaign, where he played 10 matches, scoring 171 runs and taking 10 wickets. Despite his all-round performance, the Warriors failed to qualify for the tournament’s playoffs after finishing bottom of the table with three wins from 10 matches.