IPL 2023: The resurrection of Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane
The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has already witnessed several jaw-dropping performances. Ajinkya Rahane's resurrection as a T20 batter is among the major highlights of the season so far. The veteran batter has been among the runs in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) colors and that too with an uncharacteristically aggressive approach. Here we decode his rise in IPL 2023.
Why does this story matter?
Rahane was among the top batters in IPL till the 2019 season. He has even captained Rajasthan Royals. His long association with RR ended in 2020 as the franchise released him. Though Delhi Capitals bought him, he could only play 11 games in two seasons combined. Last year, he played seven matches for Kolkata Knight Riders, and his returns were paltry.
Rise with CSK
As his stocks in T20 cricket significantly came down, no other franchise besides CSK bid for him in the 2023 auction. He was bought for his base price of Rs. 50 lakh. While he expectedly warmed the benches in CSK's first two games, the high-profile game against Mumbai Indians marked his return as he replaced the injured Ben Stokes.
A fiery fifty on debut
Batting at number three on CSK debut, Rahane went all guns blazing as he reached his fifty off just 19 balls, the joint-second fastest for a CSK batter in IPL history. He ended up scoring a match-winning 61 off 27 balls. 31 off 19 versus RR and 37 off 20 against Royal Challengers Bangalore were his following two scores in the competition.
Do you know?
Rahane's current strike rate of 195.45 is the third-highest for any batter with 120 or more runs in IPL 2023. Only Glenn Maxwell (197.75) and Nicholas Pooran (216.92) are above him. Stokes's injury has indeed turned out to be a blessing in disguise for CSK.
A look at his overall IPL numbers
Rahane made his IPL debut for MI in the inaugural season (2008). He then played for RR, Rising Pune Supergiant, DC, and KKR before moving to CSK. In a career spanning over a decade, Rahane has slammed 4,203 runs at 31.13 (SR: 122.10). The tally includes 29 fifties and a couple of tons. He has scored 450-plus runs in a season four times.
Snub from the Indian team
While Rahane played his last white-ball game for India in February 2018, a string of poor performances saw his ouster from the Test team last year. However, his recent performances have certainly pushed his case for a potential comeback. In the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, he smothered 634 runs at 57.63 with the help of two tons. Selectors, hence, have some reasons to consider him.
Can Rahane play the WTC final?
India are set to meet Australia in the ICC World Test Championship 2022-23 final in June. While Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant will miss the game due to injuries, Suryakumar Yadav has endured a lean run lately. Hence, the selectors might go back to Rahane to add experience in the middle overs. Notably, Rahane boasts 4,931 runs in 82 Tests at 38.52 (100s: 12).
