The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have often been touted as one of the most consistent franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They won the 2016 edition of the tournament and qualified for the playoffs in all seasons played from 2017 to 2020. One of the main reasons behind their success was the consistent show from their Afghanistan star Rashid Khan.

The opposition team would try to play out four overs of Rashid Khan without trying anything extravagant. They would focus more on saving the wickets instead of scoring the runs during their overs. Many fans were shocked to see the Sunrisers Hyderabad not retaining him ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.

According to reports, Rashid Khan wanted to be the first retention of the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise, but the team management wanted Kane Williamson to take that position and salary, with the leggie being the second option.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan himself confirmed this report during an interaction with Star Sports in the Gujarat Titans vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match. He said, “We didn’t want to get rid off Rashid Khan, but we couldn’t afford him,” Muralitharan said.

 

Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya had claimed that Rashid Khan s his trump card, and he will use him as per the situation demands.

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Speaking at the post-match press conference after the win against the Punjab Kings, Hardik said: “He’s my trump card and I’ll use him when the situation needs it. In the worst situation, I know that he’ll get me out of that. So it was a simple tactical decision, where I wanted him to be there when people start hitting. Because that’s where he’s the most dangerous.”