Against all odds, the Gujarat Titans have made it all the way to the IPL final in their first season in the tournament, and our man to watch for this mega finale at their home ground in Ahmedabad is the best T20 player on the planet, Rashid Khan.
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Rashid may not be Gujarat’s highest run-scorer or wicket-taker in the IPL this season, but his performances have been like gold dust for the Titans and have been one of the primary reasons behind their excellent form in the league stage. Khan has picked up 18 wickets in 15 matches for the team in IPL 2022 and has the second-best economy in the tournament amongst those who have bowled at least 35 overs, conceding 6.74 runs an over. To add to that, Khan has also added value to the side with the bat this season, scoring 91 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 206 and helping finish games against CSK and SRH with his pyrotechnics at the death.
Khan’s importance to the side could be seen in the Qualifier 1 against the Rajasthan Royals, as he completely strangled free-scoring batters such as Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson and conceded just 3.8 runs per over in a game where nearly 400 runs were scored at 9.5 RPO.
These performances separate Rashid from the crowd and make him the best bowler in T20 cricket, and the leg-spinner will need to step up and put in another big performance for the Titans on Sunday if they want to cap off their incredible debut season with a title.
[Featured Image Credit: Rashid Khan]
Shivaan Shah