Follow UsRashid Khan is a certified T20 superstar, with 651 wickets in the shortest format, in which he averages 18.54. But for someone of his stature, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season was underwhelming.
The Afghan legspinner had a horror outing for Gujarat Titans, averaging 57.11 with just nine wickets in IPL 2025. His poor season even raised a question as to whether Rashid’s magic was slowly fading, as the batters attacked him the most in any season, with an economy rate of 9.34.
So, what went wrong for Rashid?
"Sometimes you just need to calm down. You do have bad days, [and] you have bad years, and you have to accept that; it's not like you are going to be on top all the time,” Rashid told ESPNCricinfo.
“These things just teach you so many good things. And that's something which I should have taken - like yes, it's fine. I shouldn't be pushing myself too much. I'm positive that I'm working hard, but it's just a matter of time it'll come."
"Everyone then talk about like, 'Okay, what happened? Is he done?' Is it this, [or] that? But for me, I was just missing my length."
However, the legspinner went on a long break after the IPL, where he didn’t take part in any competition, including the Major League Cricket (MLC), instead setting his focus on spending time with his family.
"After IPL finished, for three weeks, I didn't touch the ball. I spent most of my time with my family, [and] my nephews - going around with them, [and] had fun - just to take all those memories and stuff and bad days out of my mind, and then restart with the cricket. That's what I did just to be refreshed, and then got back on track and got back bowling in the right spot."