Rashid Khan Reflects on Resurgence as Gujarat Titans Seal Top-Two Finish in IPL 2026

Gujarat Titans (GT) star spinner Rashid Khan believes handling failure is just as important as enjoying success, a mindset he says has helped him rediscover his best form during IPL 2026.

Fresh from GT’s commanding 89-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that confirmed a top-two finish for the franchise, Rashid signed off his post-match media interaction with a cheerful Gujarati phrase — “Ekdum majama” (absolutely fine) — a reflection of both his team’s dominant season and his own return to form.

Rashid Returns to His Best

Rashid produced another match-winning spell against CSK, dismantling the lower middle order with figures of 3 for 18 in just two overs. The performance lifted him to fourth place in the Purple Cap standings with 19 wickets this season.

After enduring two underwhelming IPL campaigns in 2024 and 2025, Rashid has bounced back strongly in 2026. He has not only improved his wicket tally but also tightened his economy rate, showing signs of the bowler who has dominated T20 cricket for nearly a decade.

Against CSK, however, his spell did not begin smoothly. Introduced in the 11th over with CSK struggling at 109 for 5 while chasing 230, Rashid was immediately attacked.

Shivam Dube smashed him for six off a full delivery, but the Afghanistan spinner responded instantly. Dube fell on the next ball thanks to a brilliant running catch from GT captain Shubman Gill. Rashid was hit for another six by Anshul Kamboj later in the over but recovered superbly to finish with three wickets.

“In a game where you are defending 230, you are going to go for runs,” Rashid said after the match.

“The batters have no option but to attack you. As a bowler, the challenge is to make it as difficult as possible for them to hit boundaries.”

He admitted his first delivery to Dube was too easy to hit and said he quickly adjusted his line and length to force the batter into riskier shots.

Learning From Failure

Rashid credited his comeback to mental resilience and his ability to remain consistent even during difficult phases.

“You have good days and bad days, and the way you manage yourself on good days, you must manage yourself similarly on bad days,” he explained.

“Whenever I had a bad day, I never let it stay too much in my mind. Bad days teach you a lot, and that is how you improve.”

The 27-year-old reflected on one of the toughest moments of his career — conceding 110 runs in nine overs against England during the 2019 ODI World Cup.

“That game taught me a lot,” he said.

“You cannot suddenly change your action or pace. The one thing you can control is hitting the right areas consistently.”

Rashid revealed that despite results, his practice routines remain unchanged. After every game, he studies his bowling pitch maps closely with the team analyst to assess where he landed most of his deliveries and identify areas for improvement.

“What matters most to me is where I pitch the ball,” he said.

“If I miss my line or length, I want to understand why. I focus on that rather than the result.”

Strong Season for GT

Rashid’s improved form has mirrored Gujarat Titans’ resurgence this season.

After winning the IPL title in their debut season in 2022 and finishing runners-up in 2023, GT slipped to eighth place in 2024. They reached the playoffs in 2025 largely due to the batting brilliance of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, while Rashid struggled for consistency.

This season, however, both GT’s batting and bowling units have clicked together.

Rashid has already taken 19 wickets at a much-improved economy rate of 8.72 compared to his difficult 2025 campaign, where he managed only nine wickets in 15 games.

GT have also continued to establish themselves as one of the IPL’s most successful modern franchises. Since joining the tournament in 2022, they possess the best win-loss ratio in the league at 1.642, ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 1.433.

“Winning nine games out of 14 is a great feeling,” Rashid said.

“We are not thinking too much about finishing top two or top four. The focus is simply on keeping things simple, and the results will follow.