Rashid Khan Reveals ‘Mistake’ That Costed Him His Form After IPL 2026 Comeback

Rashid Khan admitted he rushed his comeback after back surgery in 2025, but the Gujarat Titans spinner has now returned to top form in IPL 2026 with a match-winning spell against Rajasthan Royals.

Rashid Khan has revealed that returning too quickly after his back surgery last year turned out to be a costly decision in his career. The Gujarat Titans spinner admitted that he made an error by rushing back to competitive cricket within just two months of the procedure, which affected his performances during IPL 2025.

After enduring a disappointing campaign last season where he managed only nine wickets in 15 matches, Rashid has bounced back strongly in IPL 2026. The Afghanistan star has already claimed 15 wickets in 11 games and has once again become one of the biggest match-winners for Gujarat Titans.

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“When I had a surgery. I took only two months to get back on the field, and that was something that I did in a hurry. I felt that time I made a huge mistake, to be in the centre that soon, but I had to come back for Afghanistan and, and play those games,” Khan said.

Rashid Khan Finds His Lost Rhythm Again

Rashid explained that the extended break after IPL 2025 helped him recover properly and regain his bowling rhythm. He focused heavily on fitness and strengthening his back before returning to action this season.

“I think last year when IPL was over, I had two-three months totally off, and I tried my best to work on my fitness, and most importantly, my back, to be back on. I think the rhythm, I go through the crease, I think that was something I was missing. After that, I had a good time in the centre and I had a good 100-ball competition and then just kept on.”

The leg-spinner’s resurgence was evident during Gujarat Titans’ dominant clash against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. Defending a massive target, GT had already taken three wickets before Rashid entered the attack in the seventh over. Despite RR racing to 86 runs at a blistering pace, Rashid quickly turned the game around.

He removed Dhruv Jurel and Donovan Ferreira in his opening over, completely shifting the momentum in Gujarat Titans’ favour.

Rashid Khan’s Four-Wicket Spell Seals Massive GT Victory

Rashid said he immediately sensed assistance from the surface after delivering his first ball and focused on maintaining the correct line and pace variation throughout the spell.

“Yeah, the moment I bowled the first ball, I knew that there is something for me, but it’s just about making sure you mix it up in the pace. I was trying to mix it up and hit the right area consistently, and don’t leave the stumps. I feel like if I leave the stumps, it becomes easier for the batter to take a single or hit it for a boundary, but the most important part was, for me, that, yes, I want to hit the length, but more important it’s the line, and it should be on those three stumps.”

One of the standout moments of the evening came when Rashid dismissed Ferreira with a sharp leg-break soon after the batter arrived at the crease. The spinner later admitted he had already visualised the wicket before delivering the ball.

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“Yeah, I had that in my mind. I made that movie in my mind before that. I feel like if I pitched it in the right area, there is some help, and I can get that wicket. So as soon as it went from my hand, I knew it’s going to come.”

Rashid later added the wickets of Shubham Dubey and Ravindra Jadeja to finish with figures of 4 for 33, helping Gujarat Titans secure a commanding 77-run victory.