IPL Auction 2024: Rachin Ravindra To Be Bought By CSK? Sanjay Manjrekar Drops Bombshell Revelation

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are unlikely to acquire New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, scheduled to be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on December 19.

Rachin Ravindra garnered attention with his stellar performances in the 2023 World Cup. The left-handed batter was the fourth-highest run scorer, scoring 578 runs at an impressive average of over 64 and a strike rate of 106.22. He hit three centuries and two half-centuries.

The 24-year-old will enter the upcoming mini-auction with a base price of Rs 50 lakh. The southpaw is expected to attract bids from various franchises during the player auction. It’s worth noting the young cricketer’s additional advantage of contributing with the ball.

Will Be Tough For A Guy Like Rachin Ravindra – Sanjay Manjrekar

During a discussion on Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar expressed doubt regarding the Chennai Super Kings’ potential investment in Rachin Ravindra. Manjrekar pointed out that Rachin might only be considered as a reserve batter if the cost is reasonable.

“As a reserve batter, if it doesn’t cost too much after seeing how the auction goes. But I don’t see Mahendra Singh Dhoni changing his opening combination because they got virtually 80 percent of their runs from there,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.

“Batting in the middle order in the IPL will be tough for a guy like Rachin. He had to be in the top three and top two. If you ask me, to make the kind of impact at number four and five in the IPL for somebody like him will be tough. I don’t think they will be looking at that. They’ve got their foreign players,” added Manjrekar.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway played crucial roles as openers for the Chennai-based franchise in the last season, contributing to the team’s fifth title. The Super Kings have a purse of Rs 31.4 crore, with six slots remaining, including three for overseas players.

That’s Something RCB Could Do – Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could consider acquiring Rachin Ravindra by demoting Faf du Plessis to number three. He proposed the idea of having Ravindra and Virat Kohli open the batting order for RCB.

“RCB. If they decide to Faf du Plessis can bat at number three, then they have Rachin Ravindra and Virat Kohli. That’s something they could do,” said Manjrekar.

Faf du Plessis formed a successful opening partnership with Virat Kohli for the RCB last season. Du Plessis emerged as the second-leading run scorer with 730 runs, while Kohli secured the fourth spot with 639 runs. The team is unlikely to change this combination.

Bangalore secured Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in a cash trade with the Mumbai Indians for Rs 17 crore. With the remaining budget (Rs 23.25 crore), the franchise can acquire up to six players in the auction, with a maximum of three overseas cricketers.

Also read: “Yashasvi Jaiswal Can Do What Rohit Sharma Did In The ODI World Cup 2023 For India”- Sanjay Manjrekar