IPL 2022 Auction: 3 teams that might target Ajinkya Rahane

Veteran Team India batter Ajinkya Rahane has been struggling for form in the Test format of late. His days as a limited-overs player in international cricket ended a while ago. However, he continues to find a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) squads.

Rahane was part of Mumbai Indians (MI) in the early years. However, he did not get many opportunities in the IPL until he was purchased by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2012. He played all 16 matches during the season and amassed 560 runs, including his maiden IPL ton.

The 33-year-old represented Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in the 2016 and 2017 seasons when the RR were banned from the IPL for two years. He had a decent run in IPL 2016, scoring 480 runs with six fifties. Rahane was purchased by RR again at the 2018 auction but wasn’t as effective. However, he did score his second IPL ton during the 2019 season.

Rahane was transferred to Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2020 season and was retained for the subsequent year. However, he managed only one fifty across the two seasons and was released ahead of the IPL mega auction.

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IPL Auction 2022: Will these franchises bid for Ajinkya Rahane?

There is a chance that Rahane might go unsold, considering his poor overall form. However, his experience might bag him a contract with one of the three below-mentioned franchises.

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#1 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Rajasthan Royals (RR) players celebrating a wicket. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Rahane’s best stint in the IPL came when he was with RR. He averaged 40 in 2012 with one hundred and three fifties. Even after he was purchased back, although he wasn’t the same player, Rahane scored nearly 400 runs in IPL 2019 at a strike rate of 137.89. RR know what the veteran middle-order batter brings to the table.

Rajasthan retained skipper Sanju Samson, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and dashing wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction. Their middle order, barring Samson, under-performed in rather glaring fashion in 2021. The likes of Riyan Parag, David Miller and Liam Livingstone failed to live up to expectations.

Rahane scored only eight runs in two matches for Delhi Capitals (DC) during IPL 2021, not great numbers heading into the IPL auction. But RR could back him based on his earlier successful stint with the franchise.

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#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Sunrisers Hyderabad during the IPL. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) retained skipper Kane Williamson, fast bowler Umran Malik and all-rounder Abdul Samad ahead of the IPL mega auction, which will be held this year. One of the prime reasons why SRH struggled during IPL 2021, where they finished last, was the lack of contribution from their Indian batters.

Jonny Bairstow was their leading batter in the first half, with 248 runs from seven matches. However, he did not feature in the UAE leg. Skipper Williamson (266 runs from 10 games) and Manish Pandey (292 runs from eight games) were the only other batters to make decent contributions.

It we look at the numbers of Indian batters for SRH in IPL 2021, they were embarrassing to say the least. The experienced Kedar Jadhav was the biggest disappointment. He managed only 55 runs in six games. Priyam Garg scored 72 runs in five matches, Abhishek Sharma 98 in eight and Virat Singh 15 in three. An experienced player like Rahane could lend some stability to SRH's batting.

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#3 Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Punjab Kings (PBKS) celebrating after claiming a wicket. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Punjab Kings (PBKS) retained only two players ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction - opener Mayank Agarwal and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. They were keen to retain skipper KL Rahul as well, but the experienced opener wanted to move on. Like SRH, PBKS also had another poor IPL season because their batters, barring Rahul and Agarwal, could not stand up to the challenge.

Rahul was the team’s leading run-getter in IPL 2021 as well, finishing the season with 626 runs in 13 games at a strike rate of 138.80. Agarwal was the next best on the list, smashing 441 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 140.45. No other PBKS batter scored 200 runs in the IPL 2021 season. Chris Gayle came close, hitting 193 runs in 10 games.

Most of the others were disappointed. Nicholas Pooran (85 runs in 12 matches) had a horror run, and Deepak Hooda (160 runs from 12 games) played only one good knock. By the time Aiden Markram (146 runs in 6 matches) came in and made an impression, it was a little too late. PBKS will be looking for some experienced hands in the middle order. Rahane might be an option the franchise could explore.