Ajinkya Rahane had a memorable debut for Chennai Super Kings, notching up the fastest half-century so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 in a monumental clash against Mumbai Indians on April 8. Breaching the 50-run mark in just 19 deliveries, Rahane now holds the record for the second-fastest fifty by any CSK player, surpassing captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the elite list.
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Suresh Raina- a former member of the Yellow Army- is leading the tally with a 16-ball half-century that he smashed against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the IPL 2014. Dhoni is currently occupying the third spot with a 20-ball fifty that came against Mumbai in 2012.
The 2022 IPL was a season to forget for Ajinkya Rahane, who was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders. The 34-year-old was ruled out of the entire campaign after picking up an unfortunate hamstring injury during a match against Sunriser Hyderabad. He kicked off the campaign with a 44-run knock against CSK but could not continue the momentum in the subsequent games, in which the veteran batter scored 9, 12, 7, and 8.
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Following his below-par performance, KKR released Rahane ahead of the mini-auction, held in December last year in Kochi. The Mumbai cricketer came under the hammer at a base value of Rs 50 lakh but no franchise seemed interested in his service. CSK finally broke their silence and picked him up at the base price. After missing the first two games for his new team, Rahane received the opportunity against MI, replacing Moeen Ali. The English all-rounder needed to be rested due to apparent food poisoning.
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Batting on a familiar surface at the Wankhede Stadium, Ajinkya Rahane showed his class, producing one of the finest knocks of his IPL career. While on a chase of a decent 159-run target, CSK suffered an early blow as they lost the wicket of opener Devon Conway in the first over. Rahane stitched an innings-reviving 82-run partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad, building the foundation for a comfortable victory. He recorded 7 boundaries and 3 maximums during his blazing 61-run knock off 27 balls.
Speaking about his performance in the post-match conversation, Rahane expressed his excitement about playing at the Wakhede, which also serves as the home ground for the Mumbai captain in the Ranji Trophy. He further disclosed his wish to play a Test match at the venue, revealing, “I have never played a Test here." Notably, Rahane last time donned the whites for India in an away match against South Africa in January 2022.
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