IPL 2021: Rashid Khan off to Chennai to join the Sunrisers Hyderabad

Afghanistan's spin magician Rashid Khan is en route to Chennai to join the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), ahead of IPL 2021. The 22-year-old, who left the bubble after the recent series against Zimbabwe, is expected to undergo a one-week quarantine before joining his teammates.

Rashid Khan looked to be in great form in the Tests and T20Is legs of Afghanistan's tour of Zimbabwe. He picked up 11 wickets and finished as the highest wicket-taker in the only red-ball game he played. In the shortest format of the game, Rashid scalped six wickets in 3 matches at an average of 12.67.

The cricketer shared a picture before departing for Chennai. The post was captioned:

"Off to Chennai for the IPL See you soon @sunrisershyd #OrangeArmy"

The Sunrisers Hyderabad official social media handles were eager to welcome their ace-spinner in Chennai. The team's Twitter handle re-posted Rashid Khan's original picture, with a caption that read:

"Risers ka jaadoogar Rashid miyan aa raha hei #OrangeOrNothing #ReturnOfTheRisers (Translation: The magician of Sunrisers, Rashid Khan, is coming)"

Risers ka jaadoogar Rashid miyan aa raha hei 🎩#OrangeOrNothing #ReturnOfTheRisers pic.twitter.com/SZBoeDii20

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 28, 2021

Rashid Khan has helped SRH reach five consecutive IPL playoffs

Over the last five years, Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed to make it into the top-four in each edition of the IPL. They finished as champions once and as runners-up on another occasion.

Rashid Khan, who has been with the team since 2017, has played a vital role in the team's success. So far in his IPL career, Rashid Khan has picked up 75 wickets in 62 games while maintaining a stunning economy rate of 6.24.

He was at the top of his game in IPL 2020 and registered some unbelievable figures. Rashid's economy rate in the tournament was only 5.37 - his lowest across the last four seasons. He picked up 20 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 17.20.

His performances in IPL 2021 will be key for SRH yet again, as they eye a playoff spot for the sixth time in a row. With the team slated to play five of their league games in Chennai, where conditions are helpful to the spinners, Rashid Khan's influence will only increase.