"I was feeling very weird the first time I faced them" - Rashid Khan on coming up against his former franchise SRH once again in IPL 2022 

Gujarat Titans (GT) bowler Rashid Khan opened up about the prospect of facing his former franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the second time in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The leg-spinner spent five seasons with the Orange Army but was released after the previous edition of the competition.

GT's only loss in this year's tournament came at the hands of SRH earlier this month. Rashid Khan registered figures of 1-28 in his first encounter against his former IPL team.

Opining that the nerves are settled ahead of his second face-off against SRH, Rashid Khan said in the pre-match interview:

"I was feeling very weird the first time I faced Sunrisers Hyderabad. I was just trying to focus on my game but still it was in the back of my mind. So, since this is the second time I am facing SRH, those thoughts are now gone and I will try to perform the best I can."

The Afghanistan-born bowler claimed the wicket of his former teammate Abhishek Sharma in a contest where GT ended up losing by eight wickets.

Barring that solitary loss, the new franchise have racked up wins courtesy of their well-rounded bowling unit and match-winners like Rahul Tewatia and David Miller. The duo almost single-handedly propelled the team to victory in contests that they were primed to lose.

Opining that the presence of multiple match-winners is a sign of a good team, Rashid Khan said:

"There is a sense of relaxation and confidence when you get different players winning the game for the side. It is also a sign of a good team, that they are not always reliant on one or two players. So far bowlers have won matches for us, batters have won games for us. There are match winners across all departments here."

There were several doubts over the potential of the new side given their performance at the mega-auction. However, the Hardik Pandya-led side, under the guidance of Ashish Nehra, are proving everyone wrong for the time being.

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"Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra have given the freedom to the players" - Rashid Khan

The captain-coach dynamic of Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra has certainly clicked for the franchise. Several players have opened up about how the pair have created a positive team atmosphere. In this regard, Rashid Khan said:

"Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra have given the freedom to the players to showcase their skills and talent with full confidence. Even the players not part of the playing XI are also getting confidence from the captain and a coach, and it should be like that."

GT are taking on the in-form SRH at the Wankhede Stadium tonight. Hardik Pandya ended Kane Williamson's streak with the toss and elected to bowl first.