T20 World Cup form guide: How far can Rashid take Afghanistan?
Rashid Khan proved match-winner with the bat for Gujarat Titans on Wednesday as he smashed consecutive sixes off the final two deliveries of the match to clinch a thrilling victory for his side.
It proved once again the class of Rashid, who has been one of the most reliable T20 performers worldwide for a number of years now.
Find out which other players are boosting their chances of making the trip to Australia for the tournament later this year.
It's been a quiet IPL for Afghanistan's white-ball contingent, with spinnerRashid Khanthe sole performer at Gujarat Titans thus far.
And Rashid is proving his usual reliable self, with the leg-spinner already having picked up eight wickets at an average of 28.37.
Experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi is in the squad at Kolkata Knight Riders, but is yet to be used by New Zealand coach Brendon McCullum.
Perhaps Australia's most impressive performer at the IPL so far this year is David Warner, with the evergreen opener already amassing 219 runs at an average greater than 50 for Delhi Capitals.
Dynamic all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (124 runs at 24.8 for Royal Challengers Bangalore) is yet to catch fire, while national T20 skipper Aaron Finch has one half-century to his name with Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Lucknow Super Giants are yet to see the best of big-money signing Marcus Stoinis (72 runs from four hits) and veteran Matthew Wade (68 runs from five innings) is faring no better with the bat during his stint at Gujarat Titans.
From a bowling perspective, veteran seamer Josh Hazlewood (10 wickets from five matches at Royal Challengers Bangalore) is leading the way, while all-rounder Daniel Sams (six wickets from five games for Mumbai Indians) has shown glimpses of his best.
Test skipper Pat Cummins has four wickets from four games for the Kolkata Knight Riders, but did make a strong impression with the bat when he scored a 14-ball half-century against Sams and the Mumbai Indians earlier in the tournament.
Left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahmanhas been in good form at the IPL and has already contributed five wickets from six games for Delhi Capitals.
His best performance came against Gujarat Titans at the start of the tournament when he picked up 3/23 from an impressive spell that included two crucial overs at the end of the innings.
No player has made a greater impression at the IPL this year than England batter Jos Buttler, who has amassed three centuries in a starring role for Rajasthan Royals.
In total he has 499 runs at an average of 71.28, which is more than 100 runs greater than anyone else at the tournament.
Buttler has also hit the most sixes (32) and the most fours (42) at this year’s tournament and England will be hoping the 31-year-old can replicate this form at the T20 World Cup later this year.
While unable to match the heroics of Butter, national team-mate Liam Livingstone is proving his worth at Punjab Kings with his 245 runs coming at an average north of 30.
Team-mate Jonny Bairstow (47 runs from five hits) is struggling at the Kings, while left-arm seamer Tymal Millshas six wickets from five games at the tournament for Mumbai Indians.
It's been a mixed bag for India's bevy of white-ball stars so far at the IPL, with veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohlistruggling to find their best form.
Rohit has just 153 runs for the struggling Mumbai Indians, while Kohli has managed only 128 runs at a dismal average of 16 for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Conversely, fellow veterans KL Rahuland Dinesh Karthik have put their hands up to make the trip to Australia for the T20 World Cup judging on their strong form with the bat.
Only Jos Buttler has more runs than Rahul (368 runs at 61.33 for Lucknow Super Giants), while Karthik has amassed 216 runs at an average 72 with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
A host of fringe players that will be hoping to board the flight to Australia are also performing well, with Hardik Pandya (305 runs at 61 for Gujarat Titans) and Shreyas Iyer(248 runs for Kolkata Knight Riders) leading the way.
With the ball it has been Yuzvendra Chahalthat has made the biggest impression, with the experienced leg-spinner leading with 18 scalps in the tournament at an average of 12.61.
Left-armer Kuldeep Yadav (13 wickets for Delhi Capitals at 17.38) has also looked good, while uncapped youngster Umran Malik has 15 scalps for Sunrisers Hyderabad and could be a surprise selection for the T20 World Cup if he can continue his upward curve.
While Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson is struggling somewhat for runs at the IPL this year - he has 148 runs at an average of 21.14 - he has been receiving plaudits for his role as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A trio of Williamson's national team-mates have been making a strong impression with their teams, led by fiery right-armer Lockie Ferguson (nine wickets for Gujarat Titans) and experienced quick Trent Boult (seven wickets for Rajasthan Royals).
But perhaps the most impressive Kiwi at the IPL so far this year has been veteran seamer Tim Southee at Kolkata Knight Riders.
Southee has six wickets from just three games for fellow Kiwi Brendon McCullum's side and his outstanding economy rate of 6.66 is sixth best for all bowlers at the tournament.
A host of Proteas are in good form at the IPL, with experienced pacer Kagiso Rabada leading the way with the ball at Punjab Kings with nine wickets from seven matches.
Fellow seamers Marco Jansen (six wickets from six games) and Dwaine Pretorius (four scalps) are performing well, while a trio of batters have been in great touch at their franchises.
Quinton de Kock leads the way with 225 runs for Lucknow Super Giants, while David Miller (237 runs for Gujarat Titans) and Aiden Markram (246 runs and only dismissed twice at Sunrisers Hyderabad) have looked excellent.
Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been in good form for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL, with the 24-year-old already with 13 scalps to his name from nine matches.
Fellow spinner Maheesh Theekshana has been a good find for Chennai Super Kings with eight wickets from five matches, while Dushmantha Chameera (five wickets at Lucknow Super Giants) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (125 runs from four hits at Chennai Super Kings) have made an impression with their teams.
Veteran spinner Sunil Narine appears determined to make up for missing out on West Indies squad at the last year's T20 World Cup if his performances at the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders are anything to go by.
While Narine only has six wickets from eight matches for the Knight Riders, he has the best economy rate (5.37) of any bowler at the tournament and will prove a handful for opposition batters at this year's T20 World Cup if he can continue that strong form.
Knight Riders team-mate Andre Russell(227 runs at an average of 45.40 and 10 wickets at just over 15) is also performing well, while Nicholas Pooran has 116 runs from seven hits with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Ireland, Namibia, Pakistan, Scotland and UAE have already qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, but don't have any players featuring in the IPL.
The final two teams to qualify will be decided at the B Qualifier in July.