Rashid Khan may have been quiet on the day against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening Qualifier at Dharamsala, but his broader IPL 2026 form still marks him out as a genuine game-changer. While most other specialist spin options have struggled this season, Rashid has stayed dangerous with 19 wickets in 15 matches and an economy rate of 8.77. In fact, he is the only spinner inside the IPL 2026 top ten wicket-takers, a sign that conditions and matchups have continued to reward the leg-spinner even in a campaign that has generally been more seam-friendly.
Qualifier 2 build-up: Pitch No. 4 returns in New Chandigarh
Rashid’s influence is expected to loom even larger in the second Qualifier against Rajasthan Royals. The match is set to be played in New Chandigarh on Friday, with Pitch No. 4—prepared for the Eliminator on Wednesday—scheduled to be used again.
Why Rajasthan’s middle order could struggle
Rashid’s track record versus Rajasthan’s batting unit is a key reason Gujarat Titans will be wary of any perceived “safe” overs. In their most recent meeting, he dismissed Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey. He also struck early in the season when Gujarat Titans first played Rajasthan in Ahmedabad in April, where he dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in that encounter.
Revisiting the April meeting in Ahmedabad
That first clash in Ahmedabad now feels like it belongs to another era, but it offers a useful snapshot of how Rashid can disrupt a batter’s rhythm on the right kind of surface.
- Sooryavanshi raced to 31 runs off 17 balls in the powerplay on a flat track.
- During that early burst, he took on and struck down Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Ashok Sharma.
- In the seventh over, Rashid’s opening ball to Sooryavanshi landed on an in-between length and hurried toward the stumps from over the wicket. With deep midwicket and deep square leg both packed with fielders—including Glenn Phillips—Sooryavanshi had to play with precision.
- Rashid tried to cut off the shorter side by spreading the field, but Sooryavanshi still attacked the legbreak. The move paid off for the bowler anyway as Sooryavanshi ended up holing out to Phillips at deep midwicket, with Rashid celebrating the execution of the plan.
Jaipur impact: Ferreira exposed by the legbreak
The pattern reappeared in Jaipur, where Rashid sent a fizzing legbreak skimming through the off stump of Rajasthan finisher Ferreira. The ball dipped sharply, creating separation between bat and ball, and then turned away enough—at 104kph—to beat the outside edge and find its target. Ferreira, looking for the wrong-un, was left searching as the delivery did the damage.
Rashid’s season turnaround: control, pace-off-the-ball, and middle-overs wickets
Rashid’s current threat is amplified by the way he has regained the “fizz” and precision that were missing earlier. In 2025, he endured his toughest IPL campaign across almost every key measure: just nine wickets, an economy rate of 9.34, and 5.41 balls per boundary in 15 innings. This season, he has more than doubled his wicket output in the same number of innings, while also improving his economy to 8.77 and maintaining the same balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.41.
Just as importantly, his impact is concentrated where T20 batting often becomes most punishing for batters trying to accelerate. Rashid has 17 wickets in the middle overs (7 to 16), making him the leading wicket-taker in that phase. The gap between him and the next best bowler in the middle-overs wicket list is four wickets, underlining how consistently he has been turning spells into breakthroughs.
What the GT camp says and what happens next
With Rashid returning from back surgery, last season’s struggles were linked to missing his lengths. This year, observers have noticed a different rhythm: he appears to move toward the crease with more energy and fewer complications than he did in 2025, and the results show in his output.
On the eve of Qualifier 2, Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel offered a clear read on Rashid’s situation and mindset:
- Patel said Rashid does not need any introduction because of the bowler he is, and acknowledged that last season was tough due to him coming back from injury.
- He added that after recovering, Rashid has been bowling brilliantly and has worked extremely hard.
- Patel highlighted Rashid’s hunger to be involved in the action and to handle difficult situations, which Patel believes is why he has been delivering so well.
- He concluded that there is “no question” about Rashid Khan’s skill level, and that Gujarat Titans have full trust in him—hence the decision to keep him as part of the franchise setup since its beginning.
Rashid’s game is built on fundamentals: he aims to restrict boundaries through pressure, then uses that pressure to steer the game toward wickets. With the knockout stage now here, he will be looking to apply the same logic again on Friday—starting with Rajasthan Royals.
