A legend in the Indian Premier League, veteran cricketer Suresh Raina went unsold during the two-day IPL auction 2022. It was a huge surprise for many fans, considering Raina’s splendid performances for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the years. The 2011 World Cup winner represented CSK from 2008 to 2015 in his first stint. Once again, he played for CSK from 2018 to 2021. He is also the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL history with 5,528 runs from 205 games. In his IPL career, he has registered 4,687 runs for CSK. Speaking on YouTube, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath explained why the franchise didn’t bid for Raina.
“Raina has been one of the most consistent performers for CSK for the last 12 years. Of course, it was very difficult for us, not to have Raina but at the same time, you should also understand that the team composition depends on the form and kind of team which any team would like to have”, he said.
“So that’s one of the reasons why we thought he may not fit into this team,” he further added.
During the IPL 2022 auction in Bengaluru, CSK purchased Deepak Chahar for a huge sum of Rs 14 crore, making him the most expensive Indian bowler in the tournament history.
The CSK CEO also seemed a bit disappointed at not being able to get back Faf du Plessis, who played a crucial role last season as Dhoni’s team won the title. The South African was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
“We will miss him, we will miss Faf who has been with us for the last decade, that’s the process and dynamics of the auction”, he said.
