Ajinkya Rahane ‘s T20 batting was never recognized. In 14 previous IPL seasons, he averaged a strike rate of 120.7 while scoring 4074 runs with 30 fifty-plus scores. He played 16 innings at a strike rate of just over 100 between 2020 and 2022, with Kolkata Knight Riders offering him only one game in the 15th season of the IPL despite spending a crore on him at the auction.
As a result, Rahane was hardly a household name ahead of the 2023 season’s auction. Nonetheless, Chennai Super Kings put their trust in the veteran cricketer, and they were rewarded spectacularly.
Rahane has scored 224 runs in six innings in IPL 2023, including two fifties, at a massive strike rate of 189.83, the second-highest among batters who have faced at least 100 balls this season. His incredible form has also earned him a Player of the Match award, as CSK is one of the top contenders to make the IPL 2023 playoffs.
Rahane has produced an incredible return with the bat, and CSK has reaped the benefits. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan, on the other hand, credited skipper MS Dhoni for the big call. In an interview with Cricbuzz, he revealed Dhoni’s exact words during CSK’s strategy meeting for the IPL 2023 auction, which urged the management to select Rahane.
“‘Nothing like it if you can get him,’ MS said when I asked, which is why we bid for Rahane,” Viswanathan recalled. Rahane had no other bidders at the auction, with CSK acquiring him for his base price of INR 50 lakh.
The decision was risky, not only because of Rahane’s reputation in the IPL but also because of his recent domestic run. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 117.89, with a best of 34. But it was a victory not only for Rahane but also for CSK, thanks to Dhoni’s foresight.
