IPL 2020: Why is Ajinkya Rahane not playing this season?

The Delhi Capitals (DC) got off to one of the best starts in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is currently placed in the second position in the points table. The Shreyas Iyer-led side was even at the summit before losing against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday.

A win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) tonight would again take DC to the top of the pile. However, despite being one of the teams this season, none of the batsmen from the Capitals feature on the IPL 2020 Orange Cap list.

This will invariably divert people’s attention to Ajinkya Rahane, who has been seen warming the bench in the last three matches. However, people shouldn’t raise their eyebrows since this looks to be a tactical decision by the DC team management.

Ajinkya Rahane, who was traded by the Rajasthan Royals, might be regretting the move now for there is absolutely no place for him in DC’s India-heavy top-order. The only two positions Ajinkya Rahane can bat in are the opening slot and the No. 3 position, and the players in both positions seem irreplaceable at the moment.

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Things are no longer in Ajinkya Rahane’s hands

Ajinkya Rahane has no option but to wait for his turn to come. (Image Credits: Twitter)

While the left-right combination of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan has been getting DC off to decent starts, they have got captain Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant to follow after the opening duo. While the captain and wicketkeeper can never be replaced, the only way Ajinkya Rahane can make his way into the playing eleven is oby sheer luck.

Things are no longer in his control as he will have to wait for either of Dhawan or Shaw’s runs to dry up. The only other way he could be included in the side would be as an injury replacement for any of the current top 4 batsmen.

While it is painful to see India’s Test vice-captain sitting on the sidelines, fans have no option but to play the waiting game.