IPL 2020: 'Give me that bowler,' Gavaskar names bowler that 'all franchises want'

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) leg-spinner Rashid Khan, saying every captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) certainly wants the Afghanistan bowler in his team.

Although T20 cricket is more associated with big hitters, talented bowlers have always made their presence felt. Rashid, who made his IPL debut in 2017, has been a vital cog in the SRH camp over the last three seasons. The 22-year-old has picked up 17, 22, and 17 wickets in the last three campaigns.

In the recent victory of SRH, which came against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Rashid produced yet another impressive show with the ball. Chasing SRH's target of 202 runs, KXIP were bowled out for 132 with 3.1 overs to spare. Rashid bagged figures of 3 for 12 in his quota of four overs, while the other wickets were shared by Khaleel Ahmed, Natarajan, and Abhishek Sharma.

Speaking to Star Sports in a post-match show, Gavaskar hailed SRH bowler Rashid, who has picked up eight wickets in six matches and is joint-sixth in the list of leading wicket-takers in IPL 2020.

"You ask all the captains of the franchises, which is the one bowler that they want in their team, I am pretty certain every one of them will say 'give me Rashid'. I am pretty certain. There might be the odd bowler who might get offended but look at the way he goes about his job.

He picks up wickets, creates dot balls. Look at the economy – 3 for 12 in 4 overs. Leg-spinners generally bowls a full toss, a short ball. He hardly ever does it. He is on the target every single time, he has got a nice, well-disguised googly which comes off the back of the hand. A lot of batsmen find it difficult to pick. That kind of bowling, that kind of control, any captain will say 'give me that bowler'," added Gavaskar.

After SRH's 69-run win on Thursday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, captain David Warner also had good words to say about "world-class bowler" Rashid.

"He's (Rashid) a world-class bowler, it's great to have him. He always delivers in pressure situations. He loves that stuff. What a player. Sad for Bhuvi, we wish him all the best, but having one of our best death bowlers out of the team gives others an opportunity for others," added Warner, led SRH to the IPL title in 2016.

Meanwhile, Rahid credited the SRH batters for putting up a defendable total and giving the bowlers something to work with.

"That's what happens when you have a good total on the board, the batsmen have to go after you. But you also have to bowl your best deliveries and that's what I was trying to do. It is a big loss for us to lose Mitch Marsh and Bhuvi. As a team, we still have a good combination and the youngsters are taking the responsibility.

We have the best bowling combination in the last 4-5 years. It was a simple plan for us, we had defended 160 on this ground, we thought 180-185 would be a good score on this wicket, and anything over that we were happy. We spoke about enjoying bowling and keep working hard in the field, that is something we have seen as well from Priyam - the catch and run out - changed the game," said Rashid at a post-match interview.

SRH, who are currently placed third in the IPL 2020 points table, are set to next take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Dubai on Sunday.