IPL playerIndia2008 to 2026
Ajinkya Rahane
On scorecards: AM Rahane · Right-hand bat
Ajinkya Rahane, a batter, has played eighteen IPL seasons for six franchises, and has scored 5,367 runs, the 8th-most in IPL history. One title came along the way. Only five players have represented more franchises.
The arrival
Ajinkya Rahane was there from the start, in the league's first season, 2008, signed by Mumbai Indians outside the auction.
That first season brought 2 matches and 4 runs. The best was still to come.
The peak
The high point with the bat was 2012, for Rajasthan Royals: 560 runs at an average of 40.0, striking at 129.3 in a season when the league as a whole struck at 123.7, with 1 hundred and 3 fifties, and a highest score of 103 not out. There were four seasons of 400 runs or more in all (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016).
Measured against the league around it, though, the most destructive season was 2023: 326 runs at a strike rate of 172.5, 31 runs per hundred balls quicker than the IPL as a whole that year.
Franchise by franchise
2008 to 2009, Mumbai Indians. 10 matches, 148 runs and 1 wicket.
2011 to 2015, Rajasthan Royals. Arrived outside the auction. 71 matches and 2,047 runs.
2016 to 2017, Rising Pune Supergiants. Arrived outside the auction. 30 matches and 862 runs.
2018 to 2019, Rajasthan Royals, second time round. Bought at the 2018 auction for ₹4 cr. 29 matches and 763 runs; captain in 2018.
2020 to 2021, Delhi Capitals. Arrived outside the auction. 11 matches and 121 runs.
2022, Kolkata Knight Riders. Bought at the 2022 auction for ₹1 cr. 7 matches and 133 runs.
2023 to 2024, Chennai Super Kings. Bought at the 2023 auction for ₹50 lakh. 27 matches and 568 runs; champions in 2023.
2025 to 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders, second time round. Bought at the 2025 auction for ₹1.50 cr. 27 matches and 725 runs; captain in 2025.
8 spells with six franchises in all. The longest was with Rajasthan Royals, 2011 to 2015. 2010 is missing from the record: a season without an IPL appearance.
How the runs came
Across the career, Ajinkya Rahane has struck at 125.6. The league around those same seasons, weighted by how much batting each one involved, struck at 133.8, so Ajinkya Rahane has scored about 8 runs per hundred balls slower than the typical batter of the time, a trade usually made for longer innings. 56% of the runs came in fours and sixes: 540 fours and 141 sixes.
The ball-by-ball record adds the detail. 36.4% of the balls Ajinkya Rahane faced were dot balls, a higher share than 53% of the 140 batters who have faced 500 balls or more in the IPL. A six came every 30.3 balls, and a four every 7.9.
The fielding record: 85 catches and 9 run-outs.
At the auction
Ajinkya Rahane has gone under the hammer four times. The highest price was ₹4 cr, paid by Rajasthan Royals in 2018. The market cooled over time: the last purchase, in 2025, cost ₹1.50 cr.
Seasons without an auction entry were played under a retention, a trade or a signing made outside the auction.
Where it stands
On the all-time IPL lists, among 810 players, Ajinkya Rahane stands 8th for runs and 8th for matches played. The story is still being written: 2026 was another season with Kolkata Knight Riders.
Season by season
| Season | Team | M | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50/100 | Wkts | Econ | Best | Ct | POTM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mumbai Indians | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2.0 | 23.5 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| 2009 | Mumbai Indians | 8 | 144 | 62* | 24.0 | 117.1 | 2/0 | 1 | 5.00 | 1/5 | 1 | ||
| 2011 | Rajasthan Royals | 10 | 120 | 52 | 20.0 | 122.5 | 1/0 | – | – | – | 2 | ||
| 2012 | Rajasthan Royals | 16 | 560 | 103* | 40.0 | 129.3 | 3/1 | – | – | – | 11 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Rajasthan Royals | 18 | 488 | 68* | 34.9 | 106.5 | 4/0 | – | – | – | 10 | 3 | |
| 2014 | Rajasthan Royals | 13 | 339 | 72 | 28.3 | 116.5 | 3/0 | – | – | – | 6 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 540 | 91* | 49.1 | 130.8 | 4/0 | – | – | – | 3 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants | 14 | 480 | 74 | 43.6 | 126.7 | 6/0 | – | – | – | 7 | 2 | |
| 2017 | Rising Pune Supergiant | 16 | 382 | 60 | 25.5 | 118.3 | 2/0 | – | – | – | 6 | ||
| 2018 | Rajasthan Royals | 15 | 370 | 65* | 28.5 | 118.2 | 1/0 | – | – | – | 4 | Captain | |
| 2019 | Rajasthan Royals | 14 | 393 | 105* | 32.8 | 137.9 | 1/1 | – | – | – | 5 | ||
| 2020 | Delhi Capitals | 9 | 113 | 60 | 14.1 | 105.6 | 1/0 | – | – | – | 4 | ||
| 2021 | Delhi Capitals | 2 | 8 | 8 | 8.0 | 100.0 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 7 | 133 | 44 | 19.0 | 103.9 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 3 | ||
| 2023 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 326 | 71* | 32.6 | 172.5 | 2/0 | – | – | – | 8 | 1 | Champions |
| 2024 | Chennai Super Kings | 13 | 242 | 45 | 20.2 | 123.5 | 0/0 | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 390 | 61 | 35.5 | 147.7 | 3/0 | – | – | – | 5 | Captain | |
| 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 335 | 67 | 25.8 | 135.1 | 2/0 | – | – | – | 8 |
Franchise journey
- Mumbai Indians: 2008 to 2009
- Rajasthan Royals: 2011 to 2015
- Rising Pune Supergiants: 2016 to 2017
- Rajasthan Royals: 2018 to 2019
- Delhi Capitals: 2020 to 2021
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 2022
- Chennai Super Kings: 2023 to 2024
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 2025 to 2026
Ball-by-ball detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Dot balls faced | 36.4% |
| Balls per four | 7.9 |
| Balls per six | 30.3 |
| Dot balls bowled | 33.3% |
| Balls per wicket | 6 |
| Catches | 85 |
| Run-outs | 9 |
| Stumpings | 0 |
At the auction
| Auction | Set | Base price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | M1 | ₹2 cr | Sold to Rajasthan Royals for ₹4 cr |
| 2022 | BA2 | ₹1 cr | Sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹1 cr |
| 2023 | BA1 | ₹50 lakh | Sold to Chennai Super Kings for ₹50 lakh |
| 2025 | BA2 | ₹1.50 cr | Sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹1.50 cr |
Sources
- CricArcade IPL season statistics
- CricArcade IPL auction archive
- Kaggle IPL Complete Match Dataset 2008-2026, ball-by-ball, cross-checked against Cricsheet