75, 54, 17, 69 and 71. India’s Test cricket mainstay Ajinkya Rahane is making a statement in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2021 with consistent performances. Rahane who was not even given a chance by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the second phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is proving his worth as an opener for Mumbai alongside Prithvi Shaw.
Despite four half-centuries from last five matches and placed third of the list of leading run-scorers in the tournament, Rahane did not make it to India’s T20I squad for home series against New Zealand. The main reason behind ignoring him is the already crowded top order including the likes of KL Rahul, newly-appointed skipper Rohit Sharma and the ones in waiting including IPL 2021 sensations Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer.
Rahane played his last T20I game in 2016 and has not been considered since for the shortest format of the game.
Rahane's IPL future
While it is unlikely that the 33-year-old makes a comeback to the T20I side in near future, he is still capable of starting a bidding war in the IPL 2022 mega auctions. Two new franchises (Ahmedabad and Lucknow) will be looking for experienced campaigners. Rahane can also be considered as the captain for one of these two sides.
It is highly unlikely that DC will retain Rahane as one of the four core players before the auction. Also, DC may refrain from splurging money on the Mumbai batter after giving him just two matches in the IPL 2021 season and nine matches in previous season.
In the last two seasons, Rahane has scored just 121 runs from 11 games including a solitary half-century. His last good IPL season was in 2019 when he played for Rajasthan Royals (RR). In the current SMAT 2021 season, he has scored runs at a strike rate of 133.64 and hit 11 sixes coupled with 26 fours. The new teams may look to Rahane when they look for a top order batter who can anchor the innings while power-hitters take on the bowlers from the other end.
