Rahane was traded by Rajasthan Royals with Delhi Capitals in exchange for spinners Mayank Markande and Rahul Tewatia.
India batsman Ajinkya Rahane's transfer from Rajasthan Royals (RR) to Delhi Capitals (DC) was one of the talking points of IPL trade window last month.
Rahane was part of the Royals camp since 2011 with the exception of the 2016 and 2017 seasons when the team was suspended. He is also Rajasthan’s leading run-scorer with 3098 runs from 106 games at an average of 35.60 and a strike rate of 122.30.
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Despite being a key member of the RR set up, the team management traded Rahane with Delhi Capitals in exchange for leg-spinners Mayank Markande and Rahul Tewatia.
And now just a day before the IPL 2020 auction, Rajasthan Royals COO Jake Lush McCrum opened about Rahane's departure and the thought process behind the same.
“Ajinkya Rahane is a Royals legend and will always be a member of our family. He is an exceptionally talented cricketer, whose century last year was one of the best performances of IPL 2019, and we wish him all the best in Delhi. The reason for the trade was due to our excessive number of quality openers, compared to our lack of depth in the leg-spin department, which we have all seen is incredibly important. Both Markande and Tewatia have performed in the IPL and we believe they can add significant value to the team this year. Tewatia also has the ability to bat big late on in an innings which is very valuable,” McCrum told Hindustan Times.
Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat hogged the limelight in IPL 2018 auction when Royals roped him for Rs 11.5 Crore. He claimed 11 wickets in 15 matches and was released. Next year, RR again bid for him and bought him for Rs 8.4 Crore to make him highest gainer in the auction, along with Kings XI Punjab’s Varun Chakravarthy. Following another below-par performance, the franchise released him.
Asked about the team’s thought process when spending hefty sum on a particular player and doesn’t get the desired result, McCrum said, “Jaydev didn’t have the season that we know he has the ability to have, but what I would highlight is his bounce back ability. He had a challenging start to IPL 2019, however, after having a few games off, he came back and performed exceptionally well. He was Man of the Match in our win against SRH with a fantastic performance.”
Rajasthan Royals squad ahead of the IPL 2020 auction: Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Ankit Rajpoot, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh
Player slots left: 11 (7 domestic, 4 overseas)
Money spent: INR 56.10 crore
Purse remaining: INR 28.90 crore