Rashid Khan says he now understands exactly what went wrong when he rushed his return from back surgery during the previous IPL season—but in IPL 2026 he has looked back to his best, driving Gujarat Titans (GT) to another victory highlighted by a four-wicket haul against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
From a “huge mistake” to a corrected comeback
Rashid’s turnaround has been stark. After a difficult IPL 2025 in which he managed nine wickets across 15 matches, the Afghanistan leg-spinner has already improved his output in IPL 2026 with 15 wickets in 11 games so far.
Speaking about his earlier decision to return too quickly, Rashid admitted it was a misjudgement. He said that after his surgery he spent only about two months before getting back on the field, and that the speed of the comeback was driven by urgency rather than full readiness.
“When I had a surgery,” Rashid explained, “I took only two months to get back on the field, and that was something that I did in a hurry. I felt that time I made a huge mistake, to be in the centre that soon, but I had to come back for Afghanistan and, and play those games.”
He added that once IPL 2025 was over, he took a more structured approach to recovery, particularly focusing on his back and overall fitness, before building rhythm again.
“I think last year when IPL was over, I had two-three months totally off, and I tried my best to work on my fitness, and most importantly, my back, to be back on. I think the rhythm, I go through the crease, I think that was something I was missing. After that, I had a good time in the centre and I had a good 100-ball competition and then just kept on.”
Impact with the ball in Jaipur
That improved rhythm was on display in Jaipur as GT applied pressure early. By the time Rashid arrived to bowl in the seventh over, Rajasthan had already lost three wickets.
Even so, RR were still scoring at a healthy pace, reaching 86 runs at a strike rate that equated to a run rate of 12.28. Rashid’s spell changed the trajectory, with the chase never truly recovering after he struck.
- Rashid entered the attack in the seventh over when RR had already lost three wickets.
- Rajasthan were at 86 runs with a run rate of 12.28 when he began bowling.
- In his opening over, he dismissed two batters.
- He rushed Dhruv Jurel, who had started aggressively.
- He then bamboozled Donovan Ferreira with a legbreak.
- The 230-run chase ultimately failed to gain momentum.
How Rashid planned the stumps, then executed
After the match, Rashid described the mindset behind his bowling — particularly the importance of hitting the correct line and length rather than getting tempted into loose deliveries.
“Yeah, the moment I bowled the first ball, I knew that there is something for me, but it’s just about making sure you mix it up in the pace. I was trying to mix it up and hit the right area consistently, and don’t leave the stumps,” he said.
He stressed that leaving the stumps creates easy scoring options for batters, while precision gives bowlers the best chance to force mistakes.
“I feel like if I leave the stumps, it becomes easier for the batter to take a single or hit it for a boundary, but the most important part was, for me, that, yes, I want to hit the length, but more important it’s the line, and it should be on those three stumps.”
Rashid also singled out the threat he saw when bowling to Ferreira, who was new at the crease. He said he had anticipated what could happen and then delivered the ball accordingly.
“Yeah, I had that in my mind. I made that movie in my mind before that. I feel like if I pitched it in the right area, there is some help, and I can get that wicket. So as soon as it went from my hand, I knew it’s going to come.”
Four-for seals GT’s win
Rashid’s spell finished with four wickets in total. He dismissed Shubham Dubey and Ravindra Jadeja to complete figures of 4 for 33.
With his performance helping GT control the contest, Gujarat Titans went on to secure a 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals.
- Rashid Khan took 4 wickets in the match, finishing with 4 for 33.
- He dismissed Shubham Dubey and Ravindra Jadeja to complete the haul.
- GT won by 77 runs.
