Joe Root IPL 2023: Rajasthan Royals’ English maestro in brief numbers England Test captain Joe Root made his long-awaited Indian Premier League debut in 2023 with Rajasthan Royals, but the fairytale stayed brief. In his solitary outing at the crease, Root faced 15 balls for 10 runs, striking one boundary and finishing unbeaten on 10. With no sixes, fifties or centuries in that lone innings, his strike-rate settled at 66—a rare single-digit story for a batter of his calibre. Tasked to roll his off-breaks for the first time in IPL colours, Root bowled two economical overs, conceding 14 runs off 12 balls at an economy of 7.0. Though he failed to claim a wicket, his tidy spell kept the scoring in check and hinted at the all-round value Royals had banked on. Across the 2023 campaign, Root featured in just one match, making the numbers read like a postcard rather than a chapter: 10 runs, 1 four, 0 sixes, 0 wickets, but a memorable Royals debut all the same.

Ajinkya Rahane IPL journey spans 17 seasons, 183 innings and a mountain of 5,032 runs that have come off 4,025 balls at a brisk strike-rate of 125. The Mumbai-born right-hander has punished bowlers for 514 fours and 123 sixes, crossing fifty 33 times and reaching three figures on two memorable occasions, the highest being an unbeaten 105. After stints with Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, he is back with Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2025. While Rahane has rolled his arm over only once in the league, picking up a solitary wicket in a six-ball cameo that cost five runs, he remains celebrated as one of the league’s most technically sound and consistent top-order batsmen.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.