IPL 2016: Five players who have done well for a new franchise this season

The Indian Premier League is featuring two new teams this season, a replacement to two former champions, the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Superkings. Players from the former teams were part of an initial draft, whereas a full auction took place for the rest of the players.

Some players, like Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh, have been part of one franchise for all the editions, whereas others like Parthiv Patel and Aaron Finch have featured in a number of teams. With fresh auctions and two new teams, a number of players changed sides. Some settled well in their new outfit, while others are still taking time to get accustomed. Here’s a list of five players who have been in good nick for their new franchise:

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is one of the top run getters this season.

The diminutive opener has been a rock at the top of the order for the Pune franchise, providing substantial knocks while opening for them. He was a key player in the Rajasthan set-up, providing solid starts for them before being roped in by Pune in this year’s auction for Rs. 9.5 crores in the initial draft. Before that, he was part of the Mumbai Indians, but got very little opportunities. At Rajasthan, he was mentored by Rahul Dravid, with whom he also got to open the innings.

Till now, he has amassed 417 runs from 10 matches at an average of over 50. In all, he has more than 2000 runs in the IPL with a century and 23 50s.