Ajinkya Rahane could be in line for another opportunity in franchise cricket following his retirement from international cricket, with the former India batter potentially attracting interest from the SA20.
Former South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris has thrown his support behind the idea, praising Rahane’s experience, temperament and leadership qualities. Morris believes the veteran Indian cricketer could make a valuable contribution both on and off the field if he makes the move to South Africa’s premier T20 competition.
Rahane has already taken his first step into the next phase of his franchise career by signing with Amsterdam Flames for the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL). A move to SA20 would give him another platform to showcase his skills in a competitive overseas league.
Morris drew parallels between Rahane and Dinesh Karthik, who made a notable impact during his stint with Paarl Royals. He believes experienced Indian players can play an important role in helping younger cricketers develop.
“Absolutely! I mean, he brings a wealth of experience and is a world-class human being in general. I spent a bit of time in the changing room with him, and he’s just a wonderful human being. When you’ve got someone like that with the experience and the calmness under pressure, I think he would be someone that people would want to look after. We saw how Dinesh Karthik’s impact worked for the Paarl Royals when he joined their squad. By all accounts—first of all, again, great human being—he’s never scared to share an opinion or share the way he thinks about the game, and the success that came was because of that character,” Chris Morris said in an interaction facilitated by SA20 ahead of the Season 5 Auction while answering a question asked by Times Now.
Morris went on to highlight Rahane’s qualities as a batter and leader, while suggesting his presence could benefit youngsters within an SA20 dressing room.
“Jinks is very much the same. He’s a quality player, quality human being, captained in the IPL, and he’s played for India for many, many years. So, you bring that experience into a changing room, and all it can do is really guide your youngsters into a direction of how they want to play the game. And let’s not talk about his cricket alone—just the way he bats, the way he gets on with it. He’s very capable of scoring T20 hundreds with his eyes closed in my opinion, still. Look, if he comes over, I think he’d be a great addition to any squad because he’s a quality cricketer, but even more a quality human being,” he added.
The SA20 is also building significant anticipation ahead of its fifth season. The six franchises have already assembled their core squads before the Season 5 auction on October 7.
Australia T20I captain Mitchell Marsh will make his SA20 debut with Sunrisers Eastern Cape, while England all-rounder Sam Curran has moved to Durban’s Super Giants. Joe Root is also set to return to Paarl Royals, adding further star power to the competition.
For Rahane, an SA20 opportunity could offer another chance to make his mark on the global franchise cricket circuit.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
