Sayed Mushtaq Ali 2024: Ajinkya Rahane reveals how CSK helped him revive his T20 career

India’s veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed how Chennai Super Kings helped him revive his T20 career. Until IPL 2023, Ajinkya Rahane had a modest strike rate of 115.31 in the powerplay in T20s. However, in 23 innings since then, it has surged to an impressive 156.83. Rahane credits this transformation to the freedom given to him by his former IPL franchise, CSK. He believes CSK’s encouragement to play with confidence and express himself fully helped him unlock his potential in the shortest format of the game.

“The message from them was clear: go out there and play your natural game,” Rahane said after smashing 98 off 56 balls against Baroda to put Mumbai in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). “It was never about, ‘You play an anchor role and others will play around you’. [From] other teams, the message for me was, ‘Play till 15-16 overs and others will play around you’. That’s why I was playing with a strike rate of 120-130. But the last two years have really helped me a lot in the shorter format.”

Rahane’s improved T20 numbers

CSK’s simple message to play with freedom seems to have worked wonders for Ajinkya Rahane beyond IPL 2023. He ended that season with a remarkable strike rate of 172.48 and carried his form into the SMAT this year, scoring 432 runs-the highest by any batter-at an impressive strike rate of 169.41. His power-packed performance was one of the key reasons for Mumbai to reach final.

Rahane weaves magic in SMAT 2024

After three Player-of-the-Match performances in a row, Rahane says he wants to “keep it simple”. “I’m not too strong, [and] it’s not about power hitting,” he said. “For me, it’s always about timing the ball. But at the same time, having that intent from ball number one. And it’s always about the extension of my defence – all the shots. So I’m just focusing on that.

In the 9 SMAT matches, Rahane has scored 98, 84, 95, 22, DNB, 68, 52, 13 and now a breathtaking 98.

“[I’m] not trying to play too hard or, trying to play a big shot. It’s always about the timing of the ball, and maintaining my shape all the time.”