\u201cEkdum majama\u201d \u2014 \u201cabsolutely fine.\u201d Rashid Khan broke into a grin while addressing his Gujarati fans after Gujarat Titans secured a top-two finish in IPL 2026 with a heavy win over Chennai Super Kings.<\/p>\n
Rashid had plenty to feel good about beyond the result. He dismantled CSK\u2019s lower-middle order, striking for figures of 3 wickets for 18 runs across two overs. The impact also lifted him to fourth place on the Purple Cap standings. While he hasn\u2019t looked like his usual self during the last couple of IPL seasons, this campaign has seen him turn the clock back, aided by a pace group that has consistently done its job and more.<\/p>\n
On Thursday night, Rashid began his spell in the 11th over with CSK already under pressure while chasing 230 for victory. CSK were 109 for 5 at the time. He started by bowling Dewald Brevis with a single, but Shivam Dube launched the very next delivery for six. The ball was pitched on a slightly straighter track and served to Dube on a hitting line as well. The following over ball brought the breakthrough: Dube was dismissed, with the catch taken by Shubman Gill, who raced in and dived to complete it. Next, Anshul Kamboj came in and struck Rashid for another six, but Rashid still finished the over with control, ending with 3 wickets for 18 runs after starting it with figures moving to 1 for 14. A complete spell.<\/p>\n
Rashid explained the thinking behind defending a big total. \u201cWhen you\u2019re protecting 230, it\u2019s normal that the batting side will try to score. You\u2019re not going to get the luxury of 18 to 20 dot balls. Batters are going after you, but as a bowler you have to make it really difficult\u2014harder to hit the ball cleanly and to the boundary. I felt that the first ball I bowled to him [Dube]\u2014the one that went for six\u2014was something he could attack comfortably. So I decided to attempt a tougher option by bowling away from him and seeing how it plays. For that kind of length, the line matters a lot. In matches like this, batters don\u2019t really have a choice but to chase your deliveries. That\u2019s why we practise\u2014so we\u2019re mentally and physically prepared for any situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a reason Rashid remains the leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals, with 193 scalps, while Ish Sodhi sits second with 165. In T20 cricket overall, Rashid has 721 wickets, with Dwayne Bravo next best on 631. His numbers reflect not just skill, but how he approaches the mental side of bowling and the way he prepares his mindset.<\/p>\n
Rashid also spoke about dealing with swings in performance. \u201cYou\u2019ll always have good days and bad days. How you manage yourself on the good ones, you also need to know how to manage yourself on the bad ones. Whenever I\u2019ve had a bad day, I never let it sit too heavily in my mind. That\u2019s where you learn a lot, and that\u2019s why we keep getting better\u2014we keep learning. And if you keep doing well, you won\u2019t really have those bad days in the first place. You can learn plenty even when you\u2019re not at your best.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then pointed to a specific lesson from 2019. \u201cOn that day in 2019 [against England in the ODI World Cup], I had a spell where I went for more than 100 runs in nine overs [9-0-110-0]. After that, you can\u2019t really change much because so many things stay the same. You can\u2019t suddenly alter your action or your pace. The one thing you can do is keep landing in the correct area consistently. I felt I missed my line and length in that game, so I stayed focused on hitting the right spots repeatedly after it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashid underlined that routine matters more than the scoreboard. \u201cNo matter what the result is, I don\u2019t change my practise. Keep putting in that hard work. If I do well, or if I don\u2019t do well, I still know what makes me a better bowler\u2014and what makes me better is landing in the right area consistently. That\u2019s especially key now because batters attack you straight away. When you go back to your room and you look at your pitch map\u2014that matters most to me. For every match I play, I ask the video analyst to send me the pitch map. I check where I delivered the maximum balls and what I can improve. If I miss my line, I ask why I missed it. I don\u2019t really think too much about what came in the result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rashid\u2019s IPL trajectory has included two uneven seasons. In 2024, he recorded an average campaign\u201410 wickets in 12 matches with an economy rate of 8.40. The following year in 2025 was even tougher: nine wickets in 15 games at an economy of 9.35. This season, the wicket count has arrived\u201419 wickets\u2014and the economy has improved to 8.72.<\/p>\n
His current rhythm has nearly matched the overall direction of Gujarat Titans. GT were champions in their debut year in 2022 and finished runners-up in 2023. They slipped to eighth place in 2024 after managing only five wins. They still reached the playoffs in 2025, but the push came largely despite Rashid\u2019s contributions, with the main drivers being their top three batters: Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. This year, performances from both departments appear to be clicking together. GT have also been the most consistently successful franchise since joining the league in 2022, boasting a win-loss ratio of 1.642. The team sitting second is Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) with a ratio of 1.433.<\/p>\n
On the season\u2019s momentum, Rashid said, \u201cWinning nine games out of 14 feels great for the team. Overall, we\u2019ve had a strong winning percentage. It\u2019s about staying simple. We\u2019re not here to obsess over finishing in the top four or top two, but those things will follow as long as we keep things straightforward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cEkdum majama\u201d \u2014 \u201cabsolutely fine.\u201d Rashid Khan broke into a grin while addressing his Gujarati fans after Gujarat Titans secured a top-two finish in IPL…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Rashid Khan\u2019s IPL 2026 Show vs CSK as GT Finish Top-Two","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Rashid Khan\u2019s IPL 2026 masterclass vs CSK helped GT lock a top-two spot\u20143\/18 in two overs as Gujarat fans cheer \u201cabsolutely fine.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n