Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has shared insights into why he believes the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might refrain from pursuing Rachin Ravindra in the upcoming India Premiere League (IPL) 2024 Auction on December 19.
Despite Rachin's exceptional performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he showcased his skills with both bat and ball, accumulating an impressive 578 runs in 10 games with an average of 64.22, including three centuries and two fifties.
Rachin earned the title of New Zealand's leading run-scorer and secured the fourth position overall in the tournament. He also made significant contributions with the ball, taking five crucial wickets with his left-arm spin.
Despite his remarkable performances, Rachin has set a humble price tag of Rs. 50 lakh for the upcoming auction on December 19. While many predict a substantial bidding war for the New Zealand star, with CSK among the potential suitors, Manjrekar explains why MS Dhoni's team might opt for him only as a reserve batter.
Speaking on Star Sports, the former cricketer elaborated that CSK might consider Rachin in a backup role but emphasised that the reigning IPL champions are unlikely to disrupt their successful opening combination of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. Manjrekar also expressed concerns about Rachin's potential challenges in the middle order, suggesting that he may not have the same impact as he did while batting in the top order during the World Cup.
"As a reserve batter, if it doesn't cost too much after seeing how the auction goes. But I don't see Mahendra Singh Dhoni changing his opening combination because they got virtually 80 percent of their runs from there."
"Batting in the middle order in the IPL will be tough for a guy like Rachin. He had to be in the top three and top two. If you ask me, to make the kind of impact at number four and five in the IPL for somebody like him will be tough. I don't think they will be looking at that. They've got their foreign players," said Manjrekar.
The ex-cricketer also believes that RCB could present an intriguing possibility for Rachin if they opt to place Faf du Plessis in the number three position.
"RCB. If they decide to Faf du Plessis can bat at number three, then they have Rachin Ravindra and Virat Kohli. That's something they could do," said Manjrekar.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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