Ajinkya Rahane joins elite club; ninth IPL batter to score 5,000 runs
Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane has become the ninth player to score 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL), reaching the milestone during his side’s clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The other eight players in this exclusive group of batters are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, and KL Rahul.
During the match, Rahane played a fluent knock of 48 runs from 33 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. He batted at a strike rate of 145.95. With this innings, Rahane’s overall tally in the IPL stands at 5,017 runs from 197 matches, at an average of 30.59 and a strike rate of over 124. He has registered two centuries and 33 fifties, with a highest score of 105*. He is now the ninth-highest run-scorer in IPL history.
Rahane has represented several franchises throughout his IPL career, including Mumbai Indians (2008–10), Rajasthan Royals (2011–15, 2018–19), Rising Pune Supergiant (2016–17), Delhi Capitals (2020–21), Chennai Super Kings (2023–24), and KKR (2022, 2025 onwards).
While playing for Mumbai Indians, Rahane scored 148 runs in 10 matches at an average of 18.50 and a strike rate of 105.71, with one fifty and a best score of 62*.
His seven-season spell with Rajasthan Royals remains his most productive, where he amassed 2,810 runs in 93 innings at an average of 34.27 and a strike rate of 122.65. During this stint, he scored two centuries and 17 fifties, with a highest score of 105*.
For Rising Pune Supergiant, Rahane accumulated 862 runs in 30 matches and innings, averaging 33.15 at a strike rate of 122.79. He hit eight fifties for the franchise, with a top score of 74, and was part of the team that finished runners-up to Mumbai Indians in 2017.
Rahane’s time with Delhi Capitals was underwhelming, as he scored only 121 runs in 11 matches and nine innings, averaging 13.44, with a best of 60—his sole fifty for the team.
Between 2023 and 2024, Rahane enjoyed a resurgence in T20 cricket, scoring 568 runs in 27 matches and 23 innings at an average of 25.82. Notably, he struck at a rate of 147.53, with two fifties and a highest score of 71*.
Currently, playing for KKR, Rahane has scored 508 runs in 19 matches and 18 innings, averaging 29.88 with a strike rate exceeding 132. He has hit three fifties for the side, with a top score of 61.| ANI