The IPL team Chennai Super Kings has equaled the record of Mumbai Indians of winning the IPL for the maximum 5 times after winning the IPL 2023. CSK defeated Gujarat Titans in the rain-affected final match which was played at Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad and broke the dream of GT of winning their second consecutive IPL trophy.
CSK performed pretty well in the IPL 2023 as it was second in the points table with 8 wins in 14 matches and one cricketer who played an important role in CSK’s success in the tournament is Ajinkya Rahane.
Ajinkya Rahane who is also known as Jinx was going through a lean phase earlier and he also lost his place in the Indian test team due to his poor form. He didn’t waste time and started playing domestic cricket, though he performed decently over there yet nobody expected any IPL team going for him in the auction. No other team was interested in buying Ajinkya Rahane and this helped CSK in getting him at his base price of Rs. 50 lakhs. The CEO of CSK Kasi Viswanathan revealed in an interview earlier that it was MS Dhoni who wanted CSK to buy Rahane in the auctions.
CSK buying Rahane was quite a surprise for many cricket lovers as Rahane was never known for his T20 batting skills and he was going through a lean phase as well. However, Ajinkya Rahane repaid the faith in a wonderful manner by performing superbly in the IPL 2023, he played 14 matches and scored 326 runs (including 2 fifties) at the strike rate of 172.49.
This was the first title win for Ajinkya Rahane despite playing the IPL for many years and he gives the credit of his performance to Dhoni and the CSK management. In a media interaction, Jinx said that he was told about his role from the very beginning, even before the season started. He got the complete support of the management and he also praised the management for giving huge freedom to the players.
Stephen Fleming was also full of praises for Ajinkya Rahane as the former stated that though Rahane wasn’t there in the scheme of things for them initially yet his knock of 61 runs (27 balls, 7 fours & 3 sixes) was special. Flaming said that win against MI was one of their best wins and as Rahane played an important role in this victory, he got the number 3 spot cemented for himself.
Ajinkya Rahane played an important innings in the IPL 2023 final also as he scored 27 runs for which he played only 13 deliveries and his innings included 2 fours & 2 sixes. The official Twitter handle of CSK made a tweet appreciating the innings of Jinx with a photo of the cricketer playing a big shot. The caption of the tweet read, “The cameo that will forever be remembered”
The cameo that will forever be remembered 🥳🤩#CHAMPION5 #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/Vbi5yxkxwQ
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 30, 2023
Here is the video in which you can see two sixes played by Rahane:
— Karthi Dhoni (@KarthiMsdian) May 30, 2023
Click to watch this video directly on Twitter
Soon the Indian Twitterati reacted and here are some selected tweets:
It wasn't a cameo
It was more than man of the match
He carried that momentum forward and never let that run rate go above
Dube wasn't in form wasn't connecting so he takes that responsibility and helped us cross that line
For me that innings>>>> any other— Introvert (@Cricpoints1) May 30, 2023
Rahane and Rayudu actually turned the match in CSK's favor.
If not for Rahane and Rayudu, the ending would have been very different.
— Shravan Venkataraman (@theBuoyantMan) May 31, 2023
@ajinkyarahane88 is the only player which loved by me and my father without any objection 😍🙌
I don't no why sometimes I felt that jinks is the shadow of Rahul Dravid sir because the class and temperament of his just on another level👌👌
Player with pure class❤️#CLASSy— Shantanu Singh (@i_m_shan0504) May 30, 2023
Ajinkya Rahane played important role for #CSK by scoring quick 30 odd runs in middle overs and shifting the momentum at #CSK side. Ajinkya is one of the major factor for taking #CSK to #IPL2023Final
Well done @ajinkyarahane88 @BCCI @bhogleharsha @IPL @gujarat_titans @ICC— Nilesh Wakalkar (@NileshWkar) May 30, 2023
Those two sixes by ( #AjinkyaRahane 2.0) were two diamonds in the CSK Crown… It was a poetry with upreme elegance maintaining and ensuring the momentum of strike rate and runs, when Dube was not in form… Thank you #MSDhoni𓃵 and #csk for giving us #Rahane 2.0 .
— Proud Indian (@Kthx82929465) May 30, 2023
both sixes were top shots, Jinks special for the last 💛
— Captain (@iEatCricket) May 30, 2023
That 2 sixes of Joshua Little over by Aju was simply pure class🔥🥵
— Rakshit Shah – DUNKI (@rshah2611) May 31, 2023
The lofted straight drive was the shot of the day for me.
— Aditya Bharatwaj (@AdityaBharatwaj) May 30, 2023
That 2 sixes of Joshua Little over 🔥🔥🥵
Pure class
— Karthi Kn (@karthikn_30) May 30, 2023
A lot is being expected from Ajinkya Rahane as now he is a part of the Indian squad which will play the finals of the World Test Championship 2021-23 that will be played at The Oval, London, from 7 June 2023.
Well played Jinx!