Suresh Raina has been one of the biggest exports to have come from India in white-ball cricket. He was one of the first Indian players to have a century in the T20 format in international cricket. The club of cricketers who have centuries in all three formats is extremely small and Suresh Raina is a proud member of that club.
Suresh Raina in Chennai Super Kings
Raina was one of the biggest force multipliers for CSK over the years. His association with the franchise was from day 1 and he has been instrumental in getting the 4 IPL trophies in the CSK’s cabinet. In the middle order, he could perfectly anchor the innings and accelerate at just the right time to give the team a brilliant finish.
From 2008-2020, he has played every game for his franchises except for sitting out for one. This record may go unchallenged. With over 5500 runs, Raina is the 4th highest run-scorer in IPL history and has the most number of innings after Rohit Sharma (this is after he sat the entire 2020 season out).
For his contributions to the CSK and IPL at large, Raina is fondly called “Chinna Thala” (right hand of the leader) and “Mr. IPL”. He is refereed as “Mr. IPL” for his record of playing all matches for CSK from 2008 to 2016 and then continuing back with them from 2018. He has had 9 IPL seasons where he has scored 400 or more runs. 2013, where he scored 548 runs, is his best season with the bat.
Complete retirement for Suresh Raina
Raina retired from international cricket in July, 2020 with his best buddy and companion from CSK, MS Dhoni. However, he continued with IPL. He played the 2021 season with CSK and even won the trophy. However, he shockingly went unsold in the 2022 auctions. Fans were shocked to see him not featuring in yellow for CSK.
However, he has since been part of the commentary panel for this year’s IPL and has been loved by his fans. It is unlikely he will be called-in as an injury replacement anytime soon by other franchises. He may also not be picked in the next seasons. At 35, it seems likely that Raina will hang his boots and make the commentary box his next place of work. Here is hoping he continues to enthrall his fans through his insights and anecdotes about the game.
