What’s Going Wrong with Rashid Khan at Gujarat Titans

What’s Going Wrong with Rashid Khan at Gujarat Titans- The Gujarat Titans had one of the top bowling lineups going into the 2025 Indian Premier League. Among their fast bowlers were Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, and Kagiso Rabada. Additionally, the spinners were led by Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, and Rashid Khan. But while you would have expected Rabada and Rashid to be the main stars, reality has been different. While Rashid, who has been participating in the IPL since 2017, went through the worst bowling spell of his career, Rabada has withdrew from the competition for personal reasons. Rashid’s numbers of 4-0-37-2 in the Titans’ convincing 58-run victory against the Rajasthan Royals really represented a significant improvement over his IPL 2025 performance to yet.

Rashid was averaging 143 and going at an incredible 10.21 per over prior to the match against the Royals. He had only claimed one wicket in four games. His economy dropped to 10 and his average to 60 according to today’s statistics; it would have been unimaginable to assume that Rashid would have improved with an economy of 10. Rashid had never finished a complete IPL season at a score higher than 8.40. Rashid had never ever reached seven runs per over prior to the 2022 Indian Premier League.

Rashid’s IPL career across the years

Rashid was a sensation from his debut in 2017. Despite opponents playing him cautiously and attempting to get through his overs without causing any harm, he was also taking frequent wickets since he was very hard to score off.

Rashid Khan: from his 2017 debut to the Titans’ sixth IPL 2025 game on April 9, 2025 

The 2025 figures stand in stark contrast to those from prior years. Rashid was slightly below average for the first time in IPL 2024, but his stats were still respectable in the most batting-heavy season yet. However, that drop was more pronounced in 2025.

What has happened to Rashid? 

Control, to put it simply. From 2017 until 2023, Rashid was an expert at getting the ball where he wanted it. He would identify the sweet spot when batters rocked back because the ball wasn’t short enough or weren’t confident enough to come forward because it wasn’t full enough. You also couldn’t reliably read Rashid off the pitch due to his pace.

Moreover, picking his versions was really challenging. The variation in movement between his leg-break and the googly’s delivery was so little that he bowled or plumbed several batters. He used similarly delicate tempo adjustments, sliders, and top spinners. His bowling had a sparkle to it.

Recently, however, such control has been absent. The length master has been bowling too full, too short and also veering out of line. What may be the cause?

The fact that Rashid underwent back surgery in late 2023 could have had a role. He hasn’t been the same person he was at his best since recovering from that operation. That is evident from the figures.

Role in Gujarat Titans

Rashid is still an important member of the Titans. He offers value with his batting as well as his expertise and nous, which cannot be overlooked. He can still be useful with his bowling, as he demonstrated against the Royals. Titans have benefited from Kishore’s smooth transition into the role, and Siraj and Prasidh are poised for their greatest IPL seasons. This has made Rashid’s drop off less of a hindrance for the squad. They also anticipate that he will soon return to his peak performance.

He is an accomplished cricket player who has excelled for many years. Assistant coach Parthiv Patel stated, “And it just takes one game.” He bowled superbly today, in my opinion. The ball was travelling at the pace he desired and was falling well. He exudes confidence, and we share his confidence in Rashid Khan’s skills.

It remains to be seen if this game is the beginning of Rashid’s better luck. However, it did demonstrate that he cannot yet be written off.