Having impressed one and all with his stunning exploits in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Rachin Ravindra was always going to be a big attraction at the IPL 2024 auction, held in Dubai on Tuesday (December 19).

As it turned out, the Kiwi sensation triggered a bidding war between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) before Punjab Kings (PBKS) entered the fray. In the end, CSK acquired his services for INR 1.8 Crore.

After the signing, Rachin Ravindra expressed his excitement about joining CSK for the upcoming IPL season.

“Pretty exciting as I grew up watching the IPL and to now get involved with an amazing and historic franchise is extremely exciting. Also, to be involved with a lot of Kiwi guys, with Flem (Stephen Fleming) as the head coach, along with Daz (Daryl Mitchell), Dev (Devon Conway) and Mitch (Mitchell Santner), it is an amazing space to go in,” said Ravindra in a video chat with New Zealand Cricket.

Ravindra caught everyone’s attention with dazzling performances in the recently held World Cup. The southpaw amassed 578 runs in 10 innings, including three hundreds and two fifties, to finish as the fourth-highest run-getter in the competition.

"It was a strange feeling, but it was nice to have a couple of boys around me. It's really exciting as you grow up watching the IPL, but always weird to see yourself on TV with paddles going up. Watching Daryl's auction was special, I am so happy for him and he’s deserving of everything he’s got," he added.

Ravindra believes IPL will play an important role in him learning the tricks of the trade from the best in the business.

“It’s going to be massive (from a development perspective) and not just from a conditions standpoint. Playing in India and growing your game in different formats is done a lot these days.”

“Apart from that, rubbing shoulders with some world-class players like Dhoni, Jadeja, Flem (Stephen Fleming) and then Mike Hussey as batting coach, you compile all of that and go in with growth mindset, whenever you are playing games of cricket and you can take a lot out of it.”