Back in 2017, when he arrived in the IPL as an 18-year-old leg-spinner for the Sunrisers Hyderabad,
Rashid Khan
was one bowler no one wanted to face, especially as he possessed a googly which seemed impossible to read. In 14 matches that he played in that year, the Afghanistan leggie took 17 wickets at an average of 21.05 with a superb economy rate of 6.62.
In the 2018 IPL, he did even better, taking 21 wickets at an average of 21.80 with an economy rate of 6.73. Playing under former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, whose astute captaincy brought out the best in him, he had made the Sunrisers, who reached the final in 2018, into a formidable force.
This year, though, Rashid, clearly still getting into his groove after having undergone a back surgery that kept him out for a long time from the game, is enduring dwindling returns for the Gujarat Titans.
In five matches, the 25-year-old has taken just five wickets at an average of 34.60 with an economy rate of 8.65. On March 26, against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai, the tweaker conceded 2-49 in four overs, and turned out to be the most expensive bowler in the match, as CSK’s big-hitters Rachin Ravindra, Shivam Dube and Sameer Rizvi went after him.
In fact, in recent times, batters who would just look to play him out rather than attack him are now more comfortable facing Rashid.
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Last year, while GT reached the final, he took 27 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 8.23. This season, GT have lost three matches out of five, and are currently placed at No 7. If they harbour hopes of making it to the playoffs for the third time in a row, the 2022 IPL champs must be hoping that Rashid rediscovers his mojo.
All spinners go through a phase where they leak runs and find wickets hard to come by. Having played in T20 leagues around the world gaining massive experience, can the Afghan star overcome this lean phase and bounce back?
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