Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta believes Rashid Khan returned to the aggressive, stump-hunting bowling that once defined him as Gujarat Titans produced a dominant 77-run triumph over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Afghanistan leg-spinner struck at key moments at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday, delivering a match-defining spell of 4 for 33 as Gujarat restricted Rajasthan to 152 all out in 16.3 overs after posting 229 for 4.
Rashid’s decisive spell
- Rashid began the damage by removing Dhruv Jurel and Donovan Ferreira in quick succession, triggering a rapid collapse in Rajasthan’s chase.
- He then added further breakthroughs, dismissing Shubham Dubey and Ravindra Jadeja to complete a four-wicket haul.
- Overall, his figures read 4-33, with his stumping-focused lengths playing a central role in Rajasthan losing wickets in clusters.
Speaking about Rashid’s performance, Dasgupta underlined how sharply the bowler nailed his accuracy and kept his line trained towards the stumps. He specifically pointed to the wicket of Shubham Dubey, explaining the type of ball that makes a difference against a left-handed batter.
“Let’s see the Shubham Dubey wicket, bowled from over the wicket to a left-hand batter. If he gets the ball to turn from outside off stump or off stump and hits middle or off, that’s a really good delivery,” Dasgupta said.
Dasgupta also described the spell as a throwback to Rashid’s best form, suggesting that many of his deliveries were landing on the stumps or forcing batters into errors because of the consistent target.
“It was the old, vintage Rashid today. If you remember when Rashid was at his best, almost every delivery was hitting the stumps,” he added.
The former wicketkeeper-batter further noted the manner of dismissal, stressing that the majority of the wickets were clean bowled efforts, with one coming via leg-before wicket. That combination, he argued, reflected how frequently Rashid attacked the same areas throughout the innings.
“Today, if you look at his four wickets – three bowled, one leg-before – and if you look at his beehive, you’ll find a very high percentage of those deliveries were hitting the stumps,” Dasgupta said.
In Dasgupta’s view, Rashid becomes especially threatening when he bowls over the wicket to left-handers, as his leg-spin skids and carries the ball into the stumps.
“So that’s Rashid Khan at his best. Plus, the moment he starts bowling over the wicket to a left-hander and his leg-spin deliveries are hitting the stumps, he becomes very dangerous,” he explained.
How Gujarat built the platform
Gujarat’s commanding win was set up earlier in the match by a steady, controlled batting display. Captain Shubman Gill made 84 and Sai Sudharsan contributed a fluent 55, guiding Gujarat to 229 for 4 before Rashid dismantled Rajasthan’s chase.
