MATCH STORY
Follow UsAjinkya Rahane was the breakout star for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023. Breakout is the right word for the then 34-year old.
For a long time, Rahane had fallen out of favor in the Indian Premier League circuit. He had averaged in excess of 30 and had struck at a rate above 120 only once in six seasons between 2017 and 2022 — both in 2019. In seven innings for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022, he averaged 19 at a strike rate of 103.9. With him not in India’s scheme for white-ball cricket and his red-ball career also going through ups and downs, it was believed Rahane’s IPL career would fold soon.
However, Chennai Super Kings, with their penchant for resurrecting careers and signing players for distinct roles, saw something in the waning powers of the Indian cricketer. They picked Rahane unrivaled in the 2023 auction for his base price.
The distinct role was that of a pace hitter. Batting in 11 innings, Rahane hammered 326 runs in the season, averaging 32.6 at a strike rate of 172.5. He bashed the pacers at 232.4 while trudged against spinners at 136.4.
As a pace hitter, his main contribution was in the powerplay. Despite batting the first nine of his 11 innings at three (he never opened), he struck nearly 40% of his season runs in the powerplay. He never got out in the phase and scored at 208.3.
In his first game of the season itself, Rahane scored 61 off 27 balls on one of the truest wickets of IPL historically - the Wankhede Stadium. The template was set and Rahane followed it like a time-table.
Knocks of 37 (20) against RCB, 31 (19) against RR, 71* (29) against KKR were all based on him taking on the opposition pacers early on. It solved a lot of problems for CSK.
Since their debacle in 2020, CSK have framed their middle order with spin hitters. With one of the openers being Ruturaj Gaikwad, who isn’t always the quickest starter, top order hitters were of vital importance for them. Rahane himself was never associated as a hitter but batted out of his skin in terms of both strike rate and aesthetics. Eventually, he ended up playing a big part in CSK's title win.
CSK have tried to repeat a somewhat similar tactic this season but without similar success.
To begin with, Rahane has only 199 runs in 10 innings this season. His average has dropped to 22.1 with the strike rate taking a bigger dip – from 172.5 last year to 122.8 this season. In the powerplay this year, his average of 37.7 is fine but the strike rate of 127 is where the issues lie for the Yellow Army.
The pace hitter hasn’t been as proactive. For instance, in Match 49 against Punjab Kings, Rahane was rather timid in his role. Batting through the powerplay, Rahane scored only 25 off 16 balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad, at the other end, was 25 off 20. For someone who had taken the mantle of batting through, Gaikwad’s approach was still understandable. But Rahane, who was 13 off 13 balls before three consecutive boundaries in the sixth over improved his strike rate, didn’t attack the ball enough. Rahane attacked 62% of deliveries against pace in the powerplay last year. This year, the number has dropped down to 52.4%.
It is an inexplicable drop. 2024 has been a season with towering scores. The new ball has hardly swung and the openers are scoring at astronomical rates. In Devon Conway’s absence, Rahane is opening the innings too.
One can attribute this dip to CSK’s approach as well. At 8.6 runs per over, the five-time champions are the third-slowest batting side in the powerplay this year. But they are a side designed to go after the bowling in every phase of the innings. Their batting depth should further enable them to consistently bat aggressively.
In his current role, Rahane is batting through the powerplay without much impact. And his struggles against spin makes him redundant after the field restrictions are lifted. Twice he has thrown his wicket away to make way for the spin hitters.
Hence, while Rahane’s blip in intent can be attributed to CSK’s strange tactics, the blip in his numbers makes you wonder if he was only a one season wonder in an unproductive second half of his IPL career.
