IPL 2026, Rashid Khan floors Delhi Capitals with three-fer: Stats
What's the story
In a thrilling IPL 2026 encounter, Gujarat Titans (GT) clinched a nail-biting one-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC). The match was largely defined by the stellar performance of Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, who returned to his vintage form with a brilliant spell of 3/17 in four overs. His exceptional bowling not only helped GT defend their total of 210 but also ended DC's unbeaten streak this season.
Match influence
Rashid's spell highly impressive
Rashid Khan's spell of 4-0-17-3 was even more impressive when compared to the rest of Gujarat's bowling attack. The other GT bowlers together conceded 192 runs in 16 overs at an economy rate of exactly 12 runs per over. Rashid, on the other hand, kept it tight with an economy rate of just 4.25 in a match where every run mattered significantly.
Game-changing moments
Rashid disrupts DC's momentum, changes game with 2 back-to-back wickets
Rashid's first over came with Delhi already on the move at 36/0 after four overs. He gave away just four runs, disrupting their momentum. The decisive moment of his spell came in the 10th over when he dismissed Nitish Rana and Sameer Rizvi (golden duck). This changed the course of the innings as Delhi went from a comfortable 97/1 to a precarious 101/3. In his fourth and final over, Rashid gave away just four runs and dismissed Axar Patel. This left Delhi at 134/4 after 14 overs.
Stats
Rashid races to 707 wickets in T20s
As mentioned, Rashid bagged 3/17 from his 4 overs. In 522 T20s, Rashid has raced to a tally of 707 wickets at an average of 18.47, as per ESPNcricinfo. Meanwhile, in 139 IPL games, he owns 163 wickets at 23.62. For GT, he has 70 scalps at 27.70. Rashid also raced to 24 scalps from 20 IPL games against DC at 20.7. In three matches this season, the wrist-spinner owns 5 scalps at an average of 17.
Bowling stats
Rashid's stellar comeback after 2 lean IPL seasons
Rashid's performance against DC was a stark contrast to his previous two IPL seasons. In IPL 2024, he had taken just 10 wickets in 12 matches and didn't even manage a single three-wicket haul. He averaged 36.70. The following season saw an even sharper decline with only nine wickets in 15 matches at an average of over 57 and economy rate exceeding nine runs per over (9.34).