MI vs CSK IPL 2024: Why Ajinkya Rahane Opened Batting For Chennai Super Kings At Wankhede Stadium?

In the first El Clasico of the IPL 2024 season, Chennai Super Kings face arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in Match 29 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday (April 14).

Visiting skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was invited by host captain Hardik Pandya to bat first on a pitch that was used for the high-scoring game between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Put in to bat first, CSK made a change in their batting line-up against Mumbai as the regular opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra didn't come out to begin the proceedings for the Yellow Army.

Gaikwad walked into the middle with senior India batter Ajinkya Rahane to open the batting for Chennai, leaving fans and experts surprised. Chennai is a side that hardly changes its top order, a trait which was the hallmark of former CSK skipper MS Dhoni's captaincy template.

Dhoni never believed in changing the top order and kept backing the players even if the batters were going through a lean patch. This trait of backing the players to the hilt has been one of the biggest reasons for CSK and Dhoni's success in the IPL.

Why Did Ajinkya Rahane Open Batting Vs MI?

An official communication from CSK dugout is yet to come on why Rahane walked into the middle to open the batting. But the logical explanation for this move could be that Rahane being the local boy understands the Wankhede surface better than Rachin Ravindra, playing his first IPL season. Rahane understands the dimension of the ground as he's grown up playing here since childhood.

In the 2023-24 Ranji season, Rahane-led Mumbai side defeated Vidarbha by 169 runs to be crowned champions at this venue. Rahane's familiarity with the surface must have pushed the newly-appointed CSK skipper to take this call.

One can also understand that this could be young CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's decision to change CSK's batting order in this high-stakes encounter. And it could be seen as the Maharashtra cricketer's attempt to create his own identity as a captain.

Ajinkya Rahane Opening Stats In IPL

Rahane has amassed 3600 runs in 121 matches in the IPL so far and averaged 33.96. He's scored at a strike rate of 122.28, including two centuries and 24 fifties, as an opener. He has also been dismissed for a duck on ten occasions in the IPL while opening the batting.

Rahane fails to impress against Mumbai Indians

Gaikwad's move to promote Rahane didn't pay off as the right-handed batter was dismissed for 5 (8 balls) by Gerard Coetzee in the second over of the match. The batter tried to pull the left-arm pacer but failed to connect it well and Hardik Pandya pouched the ball at mid-on. CSK thus lost their first wicket for 8.

When Rahane Last Opened Batting at Wankhede

The most recent instance of Rahane opening the batting at Wankhede occurred during the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final clash between India and West Indies. In this match, Rahane was selected in the playing eleven, replacing left-arm spinner Pawan Negi. The right-handed batsman partnered with Rohit Sharma at the Wankhede Stadium.

During their partnership, Rahane contributed 40 runs off 35 balls, while Rohit scored 43 runs off 31 balls. Together, they formed a solid opening stand of 62 runs in 7 overs before Rohit was dismissed on the first ball of the 8th over. Rahane's innings came to an end when India's score reached 128 runs in 15.3 overs.

Despite India posting a challenging total of 192/2 in 20 overs, West Indies, who eventually emerged as champions, successfully chased down the target in 19.3 overs, losing three wickets in the process, and secured victory by 7 wickets.