Rachin Ravindra IPL 2024 Team: Which Franchise Would Go After This Blossoming Kiwi?
Rachin Ravindra (Twitter)
New Zealand's rising young top-order batter and effective part-time spinner, Rachin Ravindra, is one of the exciting picks available at the looming IPL 2024 mini-auction to be held in Dubai on December 19.
Given his all-round talent and promise, the 24-year-old BlackCaps cricketer could fetch great interest in the bidding war in the Middle East as multiple IPL franchises would love to pay for his services for the forthcoming season.
After being around the Kiwi set-up for close to two years, Ravindra truly showcased his mettle at the recent ICC World Cup 2023 where he top-scored for New Zealand with a whopping 578 runs in 10 innings, featuring three centuries. He also took five wickets at a handy economy rate of 5.98 with his steady left-arm spin.
KKR To Bid Big On Rachin Ravindra?
Having unveiled his desire to play the IPL during the World Cup, Ravindra has registered at a low-key sum of INR 50 lakhs at the mini-auction, which shall help him find greater interest from the franchises and fulfil his wish to take part in the famed T20 league.
Part of Set 2 featuring all-rounders, Ravindra could be picked as a top-order batter, in the middle-order and also in the lower middle-order due to his all-round game and range with the bat. Depending on available slots, the youngster will have to adjust to the role swiftly and succeed at it.
While all ten IPL franchises would love to have Ravindra in their camp, it is two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who might just be the one which goes wholeheartedly after him among all sides keeping in mind the overseas slots left to be filled and the purse remaining in the bank.
With a purse of INR 32.70 crores and four overseas slots vacant, KKR could well identify Ravindra as their replacement for Jason Roy at the top. The English opener is known for his struggles against spin whereas his Kiwi counterpart relishes the Indian conditions and also offers a part-time option with the ball for KKR to invest in.
It could be that Ravindra forms a fruitful opening stand next summer with the franchise's wicketkeeper/opener recruit from Afghanistan Rahmanullah Garbaz and holds one of the four overseas slots in the playing XI, including giants Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.
Greater spin-handling ability with the bat and a handy option with the ball in the top 5 also establishes a better balance to a KKR side expected to play their home games on slightly drier surfaces at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata this time amid the return of their influential former captain Gautam Gambhir as the new mentor.
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