Ajinkya Rahane's 3 fastest fifty-plus scores in IPL

Ajinkya Rahane hit a 19-ball half-century vs Mumbai Indians (via:iplt20.com)

Ajinkya Rahane made his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) debut at the Wankhede Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday (April 8). He was the standout batter for the visitors, as he raced to a fifty off just 19 balls - the joint second-quickest ever by a CSK batter and the fastest this season.

Rahane's innings ensured a seven-wicket victory for CSK against MI in the 11th match of the season. They are currently fourth in the points table with two wins in three games, while MI, who are yet to register a win this year, are eighth.

On that note, let's take a look at Rahane's three fastest T20 scores of 50 or more in the Indian Premier League.

#1 61 (27) vs MI, Wankhede 2023

Expand Tweet

CSK won the toss and elected to field first. MI had a brilliant start in the first six overs, scoring 61/1. However, a middle-order collapse meant that they were reeling at 76/5 in the 10th over of the innings.

Tim David's 31 off 22 balls played an integral role in taking the team's total to 157/5. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 3/20 in 4 overs.

CSK lost an early wicket in their chase, with New Zealand batter Devon Conway sent back to the pavilion for a duck. In walked Rahane at number 3. While most fans would have expected the former Rajasthan Royals player to play a sedate knock and anchor the run chase, Rahane, uncharacteristically, went berserk right from the word go.

The Indian batter demolished young left-arm seamer Arshad Khan in the fourth over, hitting four fours and a six. The right-hander hit seven fours and three sixes, most of which were extremely conventional shots. His attacking innings allowed the in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad to play second-fiddle and stay till the end of the chase. He fits pretty well in Robin Uthappa's role for the Chennai-based franchise.

#2 60 (34) vs MI, Pune 2017

Expand Tweet

Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) won the toss and elected to field first against their home state team, Mumbai Indians. MI scored 184/8 in the first innings, as Jos Buttler, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana and Kieron Pollard all chipped in with important contributions at different stages of the game. Imran Tahir was the most valuable bowler, returning with figures of 3/28 in four overs.

In response, Ajinkya Rahane started with aggressive intent right from the get-go. He destroyed Hardik Pandya and Tim Southee in the powerplay overs, making the most of the field restrictions and also keeping the scoring rate in the middle overs under control.

Rahane hit six fours and three sixes in his 34-ball stay at the crease. Captain Steve Smith's unbeaten 84 off 54 balls proved to be crucial in taking the side home in the second match of the tournament.

#3 103*(60) vs RCB, Chinnaswamy 2012

Expand Tweet

Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to bat first. They did not have a great start, as they could only add 62 runs in the first 10.2 overs despite the loss of just one wicket. Dravid played a terrible T20 knock (25 runs off 32 balls) while Ajinkya Rahane batted freely.

His partnership with English batter Owais Shah proved to be a game-changer. The two added 121 runs in just 50 balls, completely shifting the momentum in favor of the visitors. The Mumbai batter accelerated brilliantly after the 13th over, as he scored the last 55 runs off just 20 balls.

In response, RCB were all-out for 136 runs in 19.5 overs. RR won the game by 59 runs, as Siddharth Trivedi was the pick of the bowlers (4/25 in 4 overs). Rahane received his second Player of the Match award that season in the IPL.