For most of this IPL season, the Gujarat Titans have gone about their business like a well-oiled machine. They have an opening pair that is dominating the run-scoring charts, a bowling attack that is well-rounded, and a head coach who knows how to get the best out of his players.
But, like all others, the Titans are not without flaws. And there is one in particular that, if left unattended, will pose a real threat to their hopes of winning a second IPL title in four years.
So, how do GT deal with Rashid Khan’s poor form?
Rashid Khan’s IPL career has been synonymous with consistency. He has bamboozled batters time and again and is rightly considered one of the best overseas bowlers in the competition’s history. His 157 wickets in 134 IPL games are enough to already merit the 26-year-old a spot as an all-time IPL great.
But over the past two seasons—and this one—the Rashid Khan known for outclassing batters has seemingly gone AWOL. This year has arguably been his worst IPL campaign since his debut in 2017. In 13 games so far, he has taken a paltry eight wickets while conceding runs at an astronomically high economy rate of 9.38. In fact, each of his last three IPL seasons has seen him go at an economy of 8 or higher.
This is a huge shock for someone of Rashid’s quality, especially considering he never went above 7 runs per over between 2017 and 2022.
Batters seem to have taken a liking to Rashid this season. In the past, where they’d play him out, this year they’ve ruthlessly gone after him.
Take yesterday’s game against the Lucknow Super Giants, for example. In his first seven balls, Rashid went for a whopping 31 runs, getting hit for three sixes and three fours. His 25-run over was the third-most expensive of his IPL career. Two of his three most expensive overs have come this season and last, which have been his two poorest IPL campaigns.
So, what has gone wrong? Why is a bowler like Rashid, who has time and again been the bane of so many batters, reduced to a pale shadow of himself this year?
Former India bowler Varun Aaron believes that Rashid has still not achieved full fitness after a major back surgery that he underwent in late 2023, and that has hampered his bowling action a bit.
“If you look at his action, he’s one of those bowlers where there’s a lot of lateral flexion, and he really has to get the arm at the optimal position to bowl that fast googly. I don’t think his googly is shooting off the wicket that fast anymore, which used to really surprise batsmen,” said Aaron (via ESPNcricinfo).
With the Gujarat Titans already facing problems in terms of not having a genuine fourth seam-bowling option, they cannot afford to have an off-colour Rashid as well. Otherwise, no matter how brilliantly their batting order performs, defending their total will always be a difficult task.
However, a true measure of quality lies in adversity. A quality bowler like Rashid Khan will not be bogged down by this lean run. He has shown glimpses of his quality in certain games, most notably a spell against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede.
The opposition may pelt Rashid for now, but the coin will inevitably turn to the other side.
Rashid Khan is down, but write him off at your own peril.
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