India, April 9 -- For the last two IPL seasons, Rashid Khan had stopped looking like the bowler who could tilt an innings almost by force. The decline was visible in the numbers before it became a talking point around him. In IPL 2024, he managed 10 wickets in 12 matches and, for the first time in an IPL season, did not take even one three-wicket haul. In IPL 2025, the drop was sharper: 9 wickets in 15 matches, an average of 57.11 and an economy of 9.34. For a bowler who built his reputation on collapsing middle overs and shrinking chases, those are not just lean returns. They are a sign that the match was no longer bending to his will.

That is why Gujarat Titans' one-run win over Delhi Capitals felt bigger than a routine early-season re...