Ajinkya Rahane slams fastest fifty of IPL 2023: Key stats
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Mumbai Indians in the high-octane clash of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane starred with a 27-ball 61 as the Yellow Army chased down 158. He now has the fastest half-century of the ongoing season. Overall it was his 29th fifty of the tournament. Here are the stats.
Rahane plays a blazing knock
Indian batter Rahane made the most of the opportunity presented to him in the absence of Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali. Rahane, who came in at number three, started bashing the bowlers after his first few deliveries. Playing his first match for the Super Kings, he smashed his 29th half-century in the IPL. Rahane smashed 61 off 27 balls (7 fours, 3 sixes).
Fastest fifty of IPL 2023
Rahane brought up his half-century off 19 balls, now the fastest fifty of the ongoing season. The record was earlier held by Jos Buttler and Shardul Thakur (20 balls each). The Indian batter now has the joint-second-fastest half-century for CSK in the IPL, with Moeen Ali (in 2022). Suresh Raina holds the top spot in this regard (16 balls in 2014).
How did the match pan out?
MI had a flying start after CSK elected to field. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan helped MI reach 61/1. MS Dhoni's spin-to-win approach reduced MI to 76/5, but Tilak Varma, Tim David, and Hrithik Shokeen propelled MI to 157/8. Although CSK lost Devon Conway, Rahane made it a one-sided affair. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu remained unbeaten as CSK won by seven wickets.
A look at Rahane's IPL career
Interestingly, Rahane made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season (2008). He then played for Rising Pune Supergiant and Rajasthan Royals (RR) before moving to CSK. In a career spanning over a decade, Rahane has slammed over 4,000 runs (4,135) in the tournament at an average of 31.09. He now has 31 fifty-plus scores in the cash-rich league.
Rahane's record at Wankhede
Rahane has a strike rate of 137.37 at the Wankhede Stadium in the IPL. The right-handed batter has racked up 419 runs at 38.09 at this venue. The tally includes three half-centuries.
