Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad played like true champions as they defeated injury-hit Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The opener was a big moment for leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who became the first spinner from Afghanistan to play in the cash-rich tournament.
Rashid was introduced in the sixth over of RCB's innings and he made an immediate impact as he dismissed Mandeep Singh (24) off a brilliant googly.
SRH skipper David Warner was full of praise for the leggie and termed him a fantastic prospect for Afghanistan cricket.
"Oh he was fantastic. He has the talent and seems to be a fantastic prospect for Afghanistan cricket," Warner said.
Rashid also went on to dismiss Travis Head (30), who was caught by Yuvraj Singh.
The 18-year-old conceded 36 runs in his quota of four overs but impressed everybody with his variation.
Rashid, and another Afghani cricketer Mohammad Nabi, were roped in by the defending champions during the auctions for Rs 30 lakh and Rs 4 crore respectively.
Ahead of the tournament, Nabi asserted that young Rashid has all the components of being a hit in this edition of the IPL.
"He can be deceptive with his subtle variations and there are a few members in the Afghanistan squad who still can`t read him off the hand," he said.
