New Delhi, April 9 Former Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla praised Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan's precision and deception, highlighting his impressive figures of 3-17 for the Gujarat Titans in their one-run victory over Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, adding that his dismissal of Sameer Rizvi was a standout moment.
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rashid was at his best, dismissing Rizvi, Nitish Rana, and Axar Patel, putting Delhi Capitals in a difficult position while chasing a target of 211. David Miller, despite a minor injury to his left hand, countered with an unbeaten 41, but Prasidh Krishna defended 13 runs in the final over, including two runs off two balls, securing a tense victory for Gujarat Titans.
"We all know what Rashid Khan is capable of on his day; he can trouble any batting lineup. Gujarat Titans needed him to step up, especially while defending this total on a good batting wicket and a small ground, and he delivered.
"He was spot on from the very first ball. The way he dismissed Sameer Rizvi was particularly impressive. He bowled several leg-spinners earlier, and when Rizvi walked in, a batter with strong numbers against spin this season, he showed him the slip, making him expect a leg-break.
"But he deceived him with a 'wrong' un. It was a beautiful delivery, right on target, beating the bat through the gap," said Chawla, a JioStar expert, on Star Sports.
He also pointed to KL Rahul's magnificent 92 as a key factor in keeping Delhi Capitals in contention before the game slipped away. "At that stage, those runs were crucial, and KL Rahul ensured the required rate never went completely out of reach for Delhi Capitals.
"He started steadily, scoring around 26 off his first 20 balls, but then accelerated well. Having played such an innings, he would probably be disappointed with himself because when you bat like that, you want to finish the game for your team. Unfortunately for him, that didn't happen," added Chawla.
