Both Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube came into the season with their career in different situations. Ajinkya Rahane was dropped from the Test side and a comeback looked very unlikely with Rahane falling off the radar. Shivam Dube was nowhere near the same radar as a failed stint with the Indian team and the presence of Hardik Pandya left him forgotten. Compared to Pandya at one stage for his hitting ability and ability to provide some overs, Shivam Dube came in having to emulate someone he just could not.

In the IPL too, Dube did not have the performances to put him in the spotlight. CSK though have managed to find ways to get the best out of both Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane.

Ajinkya Rahane’s buy initially seemed questionable. His form across formats was not to great and with the standard of T20 Cricket changing his game did not seem like it would find a spot with sides looking for big hitters. Rahane though found himself in the squad, and jumped on his first opportunity as he made the side when Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes were unavailable. In his first game in the yellow jersey, Ajinkya Rahane flicked a switch. He made a quickfire 61 off just 27 balls to show that he can bat at higher gears, and topped that up with a 29 ball 71 against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

All of a sudden Rahane was finding the boundaries with ease and looked completely different with the bat. His six-hitting skill was on show and all of a sudden, after some good numbers in Ranji Trophy as well, Ajinkya Rahane finds himself back in the Test squad for the World Test Championship Finals.

Coming to the IPL Finals though, the role of Ajinkya Rahane looked rather uncertain with the required rate pretty high. Although Rahane has been clearing the ropes nicely this season, the image of him batting at faster rates is not something that could strike viewers straight away. His style of hitting too makes it tougher to see him as a big hitter as Rahane continues to time his shots rather than power them over the ropes.

He came in with the required rate past eleven and played two glorious shots to state his intentions. The first was a pull over square leg and the second was a straight drive timed to perfection as it went past the ropes effortlessly. He continued to work his magic as he hit two fours of Rashid Khan when the game looked like it was slipping away, keeping the Super Kings alive.

At the other end for most of the part though was Shivam Dube. This season has seen Shivam Dube make a huge transformation. His Six-hitting ability was given the full backing and Dube was given a clear role as CSK’s enforcer against the spinners. He hit 35 sixers in the season and when it mattered the most, Shivam Dube took on Rashid Khan.

Like Rahane, Shivam Dube managed to clear the fence when the game was once again looking far from the Chennai Super Kings. Through most of his innings, Dube struggled to get under the ball and he looked very flustered. The big stage looked like it was getting the better of him. Against Rashid Khan though, in the 12th over, Dube found two balls in his arc and launched them straight over the fence to get the Super Kings rolling towards the back end of the innings.

He was used in a specific role this season as CSK backed him to find the momentum against spin, and Dube did exactly that in the Finals and through the league stage. The tournament has helped him rediscover his form and Shivam Dube now looks a lot more dangerous, particularly against the spin bowlers.