Afghanistan spin sensation Rashid Khan was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad during the retention window ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction. The franchise decided to retain Kane Williamson, Umran Malik and Abdul Samad. SRH Director of Cricket Tom Moody addressed the presser after the retention saying that the franchise is willing to build in the future with these three players being at the core of it.
Many reports claimed that Rashid Khan decided to leave the franchise on his own admission after he was not the first choice pick for retention by the SRH management. Rashid Khan played 76 IPL matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, scalping 93 wickets at an economy rate of 6.33. The leg-spinner won eight Man of the Match awards in the five seasons he played for SRH. In 2021, he picked up 18 wickets in 14 games for the franchise.
Rashid Khan took 93 wickets for SRH since 2017
It has been a wonderful journey with the @sunrisershyd 🧡
Thank you for your support, love and for believing in me 🙏
To the #OrangeArmy you've been my pillar of strength and I shall forever be grateful for such wonderful fans 🧡🙏 pic.twitter.com/1yIx1oVKXO
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) December 1, 2021
Meanwhile, in this article, we will take a look at three teams who can look to rope in the Afghan spin maestro.
Rajasthan Royals
The Royals over the years never had an attacking overseas spinner in their ranks. They can certainly go for the Afghan superstar in the upcoming mega auction. Rashid Khan can solve a lot of their bowling woes all by himself.
The franchise can look to build a bowling attack around him and a team possibly revolving around him as well. Apart from being the inaugural IPL champions, The Royals have achieved very little in the past. Bagging Rashid Khan can certainly be a step towards achieving greater heights in the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB released Yuzvenrdra Chahal in the retention window. Rashid Khan thus becomes a very good prospect for the franchise. The side has invested a lot of money on various T20 superstars in the past. Rashid Can be a very good buy for the franchise.
Apart from Chahal, there is no other spinner of note who has played for the franchise. Rashid can solve a lot of the bowling woes for the Bangalore side as well.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR since Gautam Gambhir’s era have been a spin-heavy side. They have loaded their attack with three spinners in the past. With Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy retained, Rashid can complete a formidable trio.
With SRH releasing Rashid, KKR should keep him among their options knowing that he can be a handful on any surface and more so on an Eden track that has supported spin over the years.
Piyush Chawla and Shakib Al Hasan formed a trio with Narine in the past. It might be time now for the Rashid-Narine duo to bamboozle oppositions for the SRK owned franchise.
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