Rahane's newfound efficiency against pace redefines his T20 game

Ajinkya Rahane's career stood at a crossroads in 2023. Out of the Test side for over a year after a prolonged slump, and long removed from India's white-ball plans, he had drifted from being Rajasthan Royals' dependable top-order anchor in the 2010s to a journeyman across three IPL franchises in the last four seasons. It was in this phase of uncertainty that Chennai Super Kings, under MS Dhoni, offered him a revival platform that redefined his T20 identity.

At CSK, Rahane's game against pace was fundamentally retooled, dovetailing perfectly with a line-up built around strong spin-hitters. Since IPL 2023, he has struck at 172.26 against seam - the sixth highest among batters with at least 250 balls faced - while averaging 43.06. That places him in an elite bracket: only Rinku Singh combines a 40+ average with a 170+ strike rate against pace in this period.

Avg vs SR against pace in IPL since 2023

The transformation is most visible in the Powerplay. Rahane has turned field restrictions into a scoring window, striking at 170.53 - the fourth highest among batters with 20+ innings in this phase. His consistency stands out even more: an average of 77.71, bettered only by Sai Sudharsan (129.20) and Virat Kohli (92). Across 14 IPL seasons until 2022, Rahane never crossed a Powerplay strike rate of 140 and hit just 37 sixes in 139 innings. Since 2023, he has breached 180 in two seasons - 208.33 in 2023 and 187.40 in 2025 - and has struck 30 sixes in just 30 Powerplay innings.

Rahane in Powerplay

The shift is underpinned by efficiency in aerial play. Among 33 batters with at least 25 aerial shots in the Powerplay since IPL 2023, Rahane has the third-lowest false shot percentage at 6.4%, well below the tournament average of 12.2%. Despite the aggression, he retains control, striking at 436 when going aerial - the highest among all batters - and finding the boundary four times in every five attempts.

However, the same method unravels once the field spreads. In the middle overs (7-15), Rahane has been dismissed 18 times attempting aerial shots - the most among all batters - and his average crashes from 54 in the Powerplay to 7.7, again the lowest among all batters. The above creates a steep drop in his strike rate by 46.37 points, from 170.53 in Powerplay to 124.16 in the middle overs, the steepest decline among batters with 100+ balls in both phases.

Rahane hitting aerial shots (in IPL since 2023)

Biggest post Powerplay SR drop offs in IPL since 2023

That contrast defined his innings today. Rahane raced to 36 off 18 in the Powerplay, hitting six boundaries, but managed only two more off 22 balls thereafter, adding just 31 more runs. From 78 in the first six overs, KKR finished with 220 - a total that proved insufficient on a flat Wankhede surface, especially with their depleted bowling attack.

Rahane's resurgence is thus a story of phase-specific excellence. At CSK, this template worked because it complemented a middle order equipped to dominate when the field spread out. At KKR, however, the same approach appears more exposed and addressing that imbalance will be critical for KKR as the season progresses.