&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026 | Ex-NZ player Doull says Rahane playing better than Rohit and Kishan since 2023 - Here's what numbers tell")
Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane has always been a timing-oriented player rather an all-out attacker. It changed in IPL 2023 when he played for CSK, where he played more freely than ever and as a result, his strike rate jumped well over 150-mark in the season. Ever since 2023, Rahane has been constantly batting at higher strike rates but still faces the critics questioning him regularly. Former New Zealand player Simon Doull, meanwhile, has come to Rahane rescue and has said that the batter has been performing better than Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who are known foe their aggressive batting style. While Rahane (172) certainly did better in terms of strike rate than Rohit (133) and Kishan (143) in IPL 2023, he's been on par with both batters if not better from 2024-2026 in the tournament.
Doull says Rahane's strike rate better than Rohit and Kishan
"His numbers in the last four years have not been that bad. He averages 30 and strikes at 148 over 30-odd games. People are talking about dropping him. It’s a better record than what Rohit has got in the last four years. It’s an equal record to Ishan Kishan in the last four years. You are not talking about dropping any of those blokes," said Doull while talking to ESPNCricinfo.
How has been Rahane's strike rate since IPL 2023 compared to Rohit and Kishan?
In IPL 2023, Rahane played 14 matches for CSK and scored 326 runs at 172 - his career high. Things have slowed down since but still better his IPL career average of 125. In 2024, Rahane scored 242 runs for CSK at 124. In 2025, Rahane joined KKR and scored 390 runs in 13 matches at 148 and in IPL 2026, he has scored 83 runs so far at 148.
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As for Rohit (MI), he scored 332 runs in IPL 2023 at 133, 417 runs in IPL 2024 at 150, 418 runs in IPL 2025 at 140, 118 runs in IPL 2026 so far at 169. Kishan, on the other hand, played for MI in IPL 2023 and 2024, scoring 454 & 320 runs at 143 and 149, respectively. He then joined SRH, scored 354 runs in IPL 2025 at 153 and has scored 95 runs in IPL 2026 so far at 186.
