With his batting performances in the ongoing World Cup 2023, Rachin Ravindra has already sealed himself a sizeable contract in the upcoming IPL 2024 auction. Add to it his services as a spin-bowling all-rounder, and his young age of 23, and you can expect multiple teams to scramble to grab the New Zealand all-rounder in the IPL 2024 auction.
Rachin – whose name is a combination of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar as his father is a big fan of the two Indian legends – is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the World Cup 2023. The left-handed New Zealand batsman has scored 523 runs in 8 innings at an average of 74 with the help of 3 centuries – against England, Australia, and Pakistan – and two fifties.
He is just 9 runs away from Jonny Bairstow‘s record of most runs by a batsman in his debut World Cup tournament.
When is the IPL 2024 auction date?
The IPL 2024 is slated for December 19 in Dubai. This is the first time an IPL auction will be held outside India.
The purse for each team has further been increased from INR 95 crore from the last auction to INR 100 crore for the IPL 2024 auction.
Sam Curran is currently the most expensive buy in the history of the IPL: Punjab Kings splashed INR 18.5 crore on Sam Curran in last year’s auction.
Some fans are even expecting Rachin Ravindra to break Sam Curran’s record and go for a heavier price. One team that might keenly want Rachin Ravindra is the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Earlier this year, MS Dhoni lifted CSK to their 5th IPL title, defeating Gujarat Titans in the final.
Here are 3 reasons why CSK might go after Rachin Ravindra in the IPL 2024 auction:
CSK need to prepare future replacements of Jadeja and Moeen
Ravindra Jadeja is 34 years old and Moeen Ali is 36 years old. Both of them have been struggling with the bat in white-ball cricket. The big hits – notwithstanding Jadeja’s 6 and 4 to win the IPL 2023 final – have been largely missing.
Rachin Ravindra, aged 23, seems a perfect replacement option as a spin-bowling-batting-all-rounder. Not to forget, Mitchell Santner, who has mostly warmed the bench for CSK, is a bowling all-rounder while Rachin’s stronger suit is his batting and he can offer a handy left-arm finger spin option.
Middle-order replacement for Ambati Rayudu
For CSK, their middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu retired at the end of the IPL 2024, with the trophy in his hands. Rayudu was an excellent player of spin bowling. And Rachin has built up his reputation as being a terrific batsman against spinners.
In the ongoing World Cup, he’s scored 248 runs against spinners at a strike rate of 116 and an average of 248, being dismissed only once by spinners in 8 innings.
Age on his side; could be a future captaincy option
There are a number of players in the CSK squad who are aged 30 and more, including their spinners Jadeja, Moeen, and Santner. Among the spinners, only Theekshana is less than 30. CSK would want to add someone like the 23-year-old Rachin Ravindra, who could prove to be a match-winner as an all-rounder on the Chepauk surface.
Rachin has impressed everyone with his temperament and calmness, traits which are likely to see him lead New Zealand one day.
