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As the IPL 2024 auction swiftly approaches after the latest round of player retention and releases from all 10 teams, a lot of cricketers are expected to get big-money contracts. One of the hottest players in cricket currently is the young rising sensation from New Zealand, the all-rounder Rachin Ravindra.
The 24-year-old made a big name for himself in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023, helping the Blackcaps reach the semi-final of the competition. He scored 578 runs in 10 matches at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.44 with three hundreds, becoming the second youngest player after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 500 runs in the CWC.
Although the run-scoring exploits for Rachin Ravindra happened in ODIs, the talent of the man will be enough for the scouts to convince their respective IPL teams to bring him into their fold. Also, the Kiwi cricketer picked up a few wickets during the ODI World Cup 2023 in the limited opportunities he got to bowl, a skill which is expected to improve for him as time goes on.
With that being said, SportsTiger looks at three IPL teams who could look to sign Rachin Ravindra to his first contract in the franchise T20 league during the upcoming 2024 auction.
Gujarat Titans
After losing their captain and the all-round cricketer Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians in a trade deal, Gujarat Titans will be looking at potential multi-skilled cricketers to try and fill his void in their squad and playing XI. Although Rachin Ravindra is no match to the former talismanic leader of GT, he has the capability to be moulded into one of the top cricketers in times to come.
With the biggest purse in the IPL currently, before the 2024 auction, standing at a whopping ₹38.15 crore, Gujarat Titans can afford to go all out on Rachin Ravindra, to play him at the top of the order, where a slot was given to Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka in a makeshift attempt last season. There are only two overseas spots left to fill in the GT squad, which will allow their team management the freedom to use up that extra 2-4 crore to get the deal done for the Kiwi all-rounder.
