Rachin Ravindra secured his very first New Zealand Cricket contract a year after being overlooked for the board’s central retainership. The 20-player contract list has seen Rachin’s Wellington teammate Ben Sears, Canterbury’s Will O’Rourke and Otago’s Jacob Duffy, left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel getting added to the list after missing out on a contract during the last year. The Indian-origin Rachin finally got the reward for all the runs he has plundered across the formats for New Zealand since last year.
The all-rounder emerged as the breakout star of the ODI World Cup 2023, which was held in India. The 24-year-old scored 578 runs from 10 matches and finished off as the fourth-highest run-getter. The batter went on to make a mark on the Test circuit as well, by scoring 240 runs at Mount Maunganui against South Africa. This was the highest maiden Test century by a New Zealand batter and also broke into the team’s T20I squad.
He was also named as the ICC Emerging Player of the Year for 2023 and went onto become the youngest recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal at the New Zealand Cricket Awards.
“Growing up you’d see those contract lists come out each year and think it would be cool to be on that list one day – and for it to eventuate now is a pinch-myself moment,” Ravindra was quoted as saying in an NZC release. “It’s been a really cool past 12 months playing international cricket. I’ve learned a lot and the hunger is definitely there to keep improving and giving to the Blackcaps.
“It’s such a special group to be in, from players to support staff – and that’s been the most enjoyable part, to be honest. Playing a game you love with your mates for a living is something very special, and I hold it close to my heart.”
New Zealand’s centrally-contracted players for 2024-25:
Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Youn
