Rashid Khan has scalped only 19 wickets across the last two seasons.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes that the star Gujarat Titans (GT) player, Rashid Khan, is becoming predictable to the batters. With just a week to go for the IPL 2026, he has explained the reasons that have contributed to his recent decline in form.
The former India batting coach noted that there are multiple aspects behind the spinner’s threat fading away among the opposition batters. Most of them get to face Rashid in various franchise leagues across the globe, which already prepares them to face his key deliveries.
“Rashid Khan’s mystery factor fading away can be a combination of multiple factors. Batsmen have had enough look-ins because Rashid plays in all major franchise T20 leagues. Players all around the world get opportunities to play against him. The more you face a bowler, the more your mind starts finding methods to deal with him,” said Bangar on a JioHotstar show.
Moreover, the wicket in Ahmedabad does not offer much help to the leg-spinner. Rashid’s latest back injury has also affected his bowling pace, and all of these aspects have collectively contributed to his lean patch throughout the past two years. However, despite the shortcomings, Bangar still backed the player to deliver some economical performances in the forthcoming IPL 2026.
“The pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium is not on the slower side. A major part of his game was to hit the pads or get bowled dismissals by keeping the stumps in play. That goes away a little bit. The injury he had, he has come back from it. It may be taking a toll in terms of the pace at which he is bowling,” he observed.
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The star Afghanistani player would be eager to turn the tables in the IPL 2026 following back-to-back underwhelming outings in the previous two editions. The ex-Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) player had always averaged over a wicket per match until IPL 2023. But after undergoing a lower-back surgery in late November that year, he managed only 10 scalps in 12 appearances in the subsequent edition of the tournament.
Rashid’s struggle for form continued in the previous season, snaring only nine wickets in 15 fixtures. This was also the only season when the spinner conceded runs over an economy rate of nine. However, following a decent show in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the player would hope to carry on a similar form in the cash-rich league.
The 2022 champions, GT, will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against the Punjab Kings on March 31.
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