IPL 2018: We Are Very Fortunate to Have Rashid Khan in Our Team, Says Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson, on Saturday (May 26), said Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) camp is ‘very fortunate’ to have Rashid Khan in their squad. The One-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners shelled out a whopping INR 9 crore – to secure the Afghan star’s services and he has repaid every penny.

The 19-year-old sensation Rashid looked in great form throughout and came up with his best performance when his team needed him the most in the second Qualifier.

The Sunrisers had entered the game after suffering four losses in a row. Hyderabad stuttered after their openers added 57 runs in seven overs.

When Rashid came into bat, Sunrisers were 134 for six with just 13 balls left in their innings. At that time even reaching 150 was looking like a distant dream.

However, what followed thereafter left the jam-packed Eden Gardens shell-shocked. Rashid faced 10 off those 13 balls and smashed 34 off them, including four sixes and two fours. Just like that, Sunrisers reached to 174 for seven from a precarious position.

Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn then threatened to reduce Rashid’s cameo to a mere footnote by helping Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to take 67 runs in the powerplay.

Rashid, however, derailed the chase with three wickets, including that of Chris Lynn and Andre Russell. He also ran out Nitish Rana, who was promoted to number three spot – to counter the leg-spinner. He then finished the night with the catches of Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi in the last over.

While it was just one of those perfect nights, it is safe to say that Rashid has impressed on almost every occasion this season. So far, he has picked up 21 wickets and has an economy-rate of less than seven which is such a rarity in Twenty20s.

The Sunrisers will now take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the game, Williamson said the team is hopeful of another good show from Rashid.

“I think it’s been a really consistent thing throughout a number of IPLs, probably not just the skill-set but the quality of those leg spinners is very, very high,” Williamson stated duringa presser aired by Star Sports.

Cool and composed character Williamson added he is hopeful to see Rashid Khan delivering yet again for the franchise.

“Obviously, having the ability to take it away from both (left and right-handed) players on surfaces that offer a little bit of turn is definitely as asset to have. We are very fortunate to have Rashid Khan in our team. He’s been outstanding throughout the whole campaign and hopefully tomorrow night he can do it all over again,” he concluded.