Rashid Khan's Top 5 performances in the IPL
Since making his debut for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2017, Rashid Khan has emerged as one of the best players to have ever featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Afghan all-rounder scaled an important landmark in the Gujarat Titans' (GT) win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday, April 29, as he played his 100th game in the cash-rich tournament.
In 100 games, he has picked up 126 wickets and has conceded runs at a miserly economy rate of 6.57 runs an over. He represented SRH from 2017 to 2021 before moving to GT in 2022.
The best of batters have struggled against him. Over time, batters have started trying to play him out and yet, he has picked up plenty of wickets which goes to prove his class.
On that note, here's a look at five of Rashid Khan's best performances in the IPL.
#1. 1-16 vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2017:
In his first IPL season in 2017, Rashid Khan showed his class as he bamboozled the Kings XI Punjab courtesy of his magical bowling.
SRH batted first and compiled a score of 207 on the back of contributions from David Warner, Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan. In response, KXIP could only score 181 runs and Rashid was the wrecker in chief.
While Punjab scored easily off the other bowlers, Rashid's spell strangled them. He picked up the important wicket of Eoin Morgan and ended up with figures of 1-16. This was an early sign of Rashid's class and he has not looked back ever
#2. 3/19 vs Gujarat Lions, IPL 2017
In a game between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the now defunct Gujarat Lions in 2017, Rashid Khan produced a performance for the ages. Gujarat batted first and Khan was brought into the attack in the fifth over itself. He struck in his first over itself, dismissing Brendon McCullum. He then got rid of Suresh Raina and Aaron Finch in quick succession as well to reduce GL to 57-4, ending with sensational figures of 3-19 from his quota of four overs.
His performance helped SRH restrict GL to just 135-7 and this score was chased down rather easily by Hyderabad. Rashid Khan was given the Player of the Match award and quite deservingly so.
#3. 2-11 vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2018
In a low-scoring game between SRH and MI in 2018, Rashid Khan choked Mumbai to help his side register a come-from-behind victory. Batting first, SRH could only manage to compile a score of 118 MI's bowlers were absolutely relentless.
It seemed like MI would achieve the target without breaking a sweat, but Rashid Khan had other plans. His four-over spell shut Mumbai's scoring options and he also picked up two wickets, including those of Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard. He ended up with figures of 2-11 as MI were bowled out for just 87, thus handing SRH a 31-run victory. He won the man-of-the-match award for his brilliance.
#4. 3-19 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2018
In a high-octane Qualifier 2 clash in 2018, Rashid Khan stepped up for SRH. The Sunrisers scored 174 runs in the first innings thanks to contributions from multiple batters who got starts.
In response, KKR got off to a superb start with their score being 93-1 at one point. However, Rashid turned the game around with his craft as he picked up three crucial wickets (Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell) to deny KKR a spot in the final.
#5. 4-24 vs Lucknow Supergiants, IPL 2022
In a match between the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) in IPL 2022, the former batted first and scored 144 on what was quite a sluggish pitch. This meant that Rashid Khan was going to be a challenge for LSG in the second innings.
The young man lived upto the expectations as he tore LSG apart, picking up four wickets for just 24 runs, including those of Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya and Jason Holder. LSG were bowled out for a paltry score of 82 and GT won the game by 62 runs.