Ajinkya Rahane has signed up with European T20 Premier League (ETPL) franchise Amsterdam Flames a week after announcing his international and Indian domestic retirement.
Ajinkya Rahane signs for Amsterdam Flames in ETPL days after international retirement
Rahane has signed for the ETPL side as their marquee player for the inaugural edition of the tournament. The Amsterdam Flames are co-owned by former Australia captain Steve Waugh, with Mitchell Marsh set to captain the side in the upcoming season. The likes of Steve Smith and Tim David are among the most prominent international players in the squad.
Rahane last played international cricket for India in July 2023, and was the Kolkata Knight Riders captain during the last two seasons of the IPL. He became eligible to play in the overseas franchise league after announcing his retirement from international and Indian domestic cricket, with BCCI still mulling over a potential cooling-off period for recently retired players. He follows Vijay Shankar and Ravichandran Ashwin as former India cricketers to sign for an overseas franchise in the recent past.
Rahane made 195 international appearances for India across formats, and arguably his best moment for them came during the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy, when he led the team to a historic series win in the absence of full-time skipper Virat Kohli. In the IPL, he played 212 matches for six different franchises, scoring 5367 runs at a strike-rate of 125.60, with two hundreds and 35 half-centuries. He won the IPL title with the Chennai Super Kings in 2023 before moving to KKR after the 2024 mega auction.
Also read: I ranked every Test Ajinkya Rahane captained in, from least to most memorable
Announcing Rahane’s signing, Waugh said: “Ajinkya Rahane represents everything you want in a professional cricketer—skill, resilience, humility and leadership. Throughout his career he has earned enormous respect across the cricket world, not only for his performances but for the way he has conducted himself on and off the field. I’ve seen first-hand the composure and leadership he brings under pressure, and those qualities help shape winning cultures. His experience, leadership and character will be invaluable as we build Amsterdam Flames into one of Europe's premier cricket clubs.”
Rahane said: “Cricket has given me so much, and I’ve always believed that players have a responsibility to leave the game stronger than they found it. Europe is entering an exciting phase and has the potential to become one of cricket’s most promising frontiers. What impressed me about Amsterdam Flames is the ambition to build something meaningful that creates a lasting impact both on and off the field. I’m excited to work alongside the management to build a successful franchise while helping inspire the next generation and strengthen cricket’s future across Europe.”
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