Former India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane recently came forward and talked about his recently rejuvenated IPL (Indian Premier League) career. It is worth noting that Rahane recently took to social media and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket as he delivered an emotional note to his fans.ย
Notably, Rahane has played for a plethora of teams in the IPL, but he has really come into his own after he made the move to Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 season. In the 14 matches that Rahane played for CSK in the 2023 season, he amassed 326 runs to his name, maintaining a strike rate of over 172 and putting in a brilliant performance.ย
Speaking on the same, Rahane pointed out exactly where everything changed for him in the IPL, talking about an innings that came against five-time champions Mumbai Indians.ย
“Before IPL 2023, I spent two months preparing and worked on expanding my range of shots. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also made one thing very clear: Whenever I got an opportunity, they would back me completely. I wasnโt even supposed to play my first game, but an injury gave me the chance. That innings against Mumbai changed everything, but it was built on the preparation I had put in beforehand,โ Rahane told the Indian Express.ย
Rahane talked about his time as KKRโs captain
Furthermore, the former batter also opened up on his time as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders. He revealed that he decided to be extra vocal as the captain of KKR so that his teammates do not take the heat instead after a subpar performance.ย
“I was vocal because I wanted to take the pressure away from my teammates, especially our inexperienced bowling attack. I wanted people to focus on me instead of the team so the players could perform freely. As a leader, you sometimes have to take the blame,” said Rahane.ย
In the 2026 season, Rahane played 14 matches for KKR, where he scored 335 runs to his name, maintaining an average of 25.67 runs and hitting two half-centuries but was unable to take his team to the knockout stages of the tournament.ย
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