The Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of the top teams in the Indian Premier League. They won the 2016 edition of the tournament and qualified for the playoffs in all seasons played from 2017 to 2020. One of the main reasons behind their success was the consistent show from their Afghanistan star Rashid Khan.
The opposition team would try to play out four overs of Rashid without trying for too many aggressive hits. They would focus more on saving the wickets instead of scoring the runs during his overs. Many fans were shocked to see the Sunrisers Hyderabad not retaining him ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
According to reports, Khan wanted to be the first retention of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise, but the team management wanted Kane Williamson to take that position and salary, with Rashid being the second option.
Sunrisers Hyderabad spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan himself confirmed this report during an interaction with Star Sports in the Gujarat Titans vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match: “We didn’t want to get rid off Rashid Khan, but we couldn’t afford him,” Muralitharan said.
Rashid Khan is my trump card and I’ll use him when the situation needs: Hardik Pandya
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya had claimed that Rashid is his trump card, and he will use him as per the situation demands. Speaking at the post-match press conference after the win against the Punjab Kings, Hardik said:
“He’s my trump card and I’ll use him when the situation needs it. In the worst situation, I know that he’ll get me out of that. So it was a simple tactical decision, where I wanted him to be there when people start hitting. Because that’s where he’s the most dangerous.”
While Khan is one of the best bowlers in the IPL, he bowled an average spell in his first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Khan bowled a spell of 1/28 in four overs.
