It may surprise many that, despite having a regular presence in T20 internationals, England leg-spinner Adil Rashid has always remained unsold in IPL auctions. However, he has experienced the taste of IPL, by coming on as a replacement in IPL 2021. Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Jhye Richardson had decided to opt out of the second phase of IPL 2021 and the franchise replaced him with Rashid.
The wrist spinner from England got one opportunity in the remainder of the league. His debut against Rajasthan Royals did not go as per his liking as he leaked 35 runs in 3 overs without getting a wicket. PBKS did not give him another opportunity to prove his mettle and he was benched for the rest of IPL 2021.
This time around, things are looking much brighter for the spinner. He had a terrific campaign for eventual champions England in T20 World Cup 2022. Finishing each of his 4-over spells in the tournament, Rashid took 4 wickets at an economy rate of 6.12. Putting a cut-off of a minimum of 20 overs bowled, Rashid’s economy rate was second-best after Mustafizur Rahman’s 5.60.
He put on two back-to-back stellar performances in the knockout stage of the tournament. In the semi-final against India, he bowled a miserly spell of 1/20 in four overs and took the prized wicket of number 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav. Against Pakistan, in the title-winning contest, Rashid finished with a figure of 2/22, claiming the wickets of Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam. These stats make Rashid a rewarding option to have and with his decent capability with the bat, IPL teams should get interested in roping in him in the upcoming mini-auction.
Which 2 teams can target Adil Rashid in the IPL 2023 auction?
An IPL team can field only four overseas players and with spinners already in abundance in India’s domestic circuit, teams tend to fill those four slots by having destructive openers, fierce pacers, or big-hitting all-rounders. But this time around, there are a few teams who are light in the spin department and might want to include a spinner, preferably a wrist spinner, in their ranks.
. Sunrisers Hyderabad
For five consecutive years, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had the service of wily leg spinner Rashid Khan. The Afghan spinner took 93 wickets in 76 matches and was a proven match-winner for the team. Before IPL 2022, the franchise decided to part ways with him and the spinner found a place in the Gujarat Titans squad, ending up as IPL champions.
SRH could not find a proper replacement for the wrist spinner in the mega-auction and the team was largely dependent on the finger spinners in IPL 2022. In the form of Shreyas Gopal, they had a wrist spinner in their ranks, but he played in only one match conceding 34 runs in 3 overs while picking up a wicket. The Orange Army had a poor season and finished in 8th position after winning only 6 out of 14 league matches.
Before the auction, SRH released 12 players, while retaining as many. The team will go into the mini-auction with the biggest purse remaining of all teams – ₹42.25 Crore. The franchise has four overseas slots to fill in. SRH’s pace bowling department is looking compact with plenty of options and the team will probably look for a backup overseas pacer. They may go for an attacking opener as well.
Among the remaining two overseas slots, one of them should be filled with a wrist-spinning option. Rashid can be a like-for-like replacement for Khan with his many variations. IPL is returning to the home-and-away format and SRH is set to play their home matches in the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium which has moderately bigger boundaries. As seen in Australia, Rashid can take advantage of bigger boundaries and should play a decisive role in SRH’s home ground.
. Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians (MI) had a terrible campaign in the previous edition of IPL, finishing in the last position. Throughout the tournament, the franchise kept chopping and changing the team without getting the desired result. The team has released 13 players and among them, two are wrist spinners – Mayank Markande and Murugan Ashwin.
In their current roster, MI does not have many spinning bowling options and among them, Kumar Kartikeya is the only one who can bowl wrist spin but mainly relies on his slow left-arm orthodox bowling. An addition of a leg spinner will give the team much-needed variety and Rashid may be a good fit for the team.
The Mumbai-based team will play the home matches in the Wankhede Stadium, which has traditionally offered more bounce compared to the other grounds in India and the English spinner is likely to enjoy that assistance from the pitch. With ₹20.55 Crore in their purse and three overseas slots to fill in, MI should not feel any shortage of money or space. Hopefully, England pacer Jofra Archer will become fully match-fit and be available to play IPL 2023, and make a formidable partnership with his compatriot Rashid.
Wrap-up
The 34-year-old spinner from England is one of the most experienced bowlers around the T20 circuit and should be a valuable addition to IPL teams that are not looking too strong in the spin bowling department. Adil Rashid’s crafty leg spin will help them dictate terms in the middle overs. As the spin bowling options of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians are not looking too promising at the moment, it is expected that these two teams will try to sign him in the upcoming IPL 2023 auction.
FAQs
Q1:- How many wickets Adil Rashid has taken in his T20I career?
Ans:- Adil Rashid has 93 T20I wickets to his name.
Q2:- Can Adil Rashid contribute with the bat as well?
Ans:- Adil Rashid has not gotten enough opportunities in the 20-over format with the bat as he has batted in only 104 innings out of his 248 matches. In those few opportunities, Rashid has scored 744 runs at a strike rate of 104.64 with the highest score being 36*.
Q3:- How has he performed in T20Is while playing in India?
Ans:- He has bowled 13 times in T20Is on Indian grounds, taking 10 wickets at an economy rate of 8.25.
