Power hitter Suresh Raina has been one of the prolific batters in white-ball cricket and his track record is very much impressive in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, despite playing several match-winning knocks for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he went unsold in the last mega auction.
Mr IPL fame Raina now seems to be determined to make a comeback to the cash-rich league in 2023. He is believed to have made his intentions clear by starting his training sessions.
Recently, he was found on the practice ground wearing the jersey of the CSK team that eventually ignored him. Meanwhile, the recent development has triggered speculations among the fans that the southpaw will return to his old franchise.
However, nothing has been confirmed from Raina or CSK about the comeback. As per sources, Raina is confident of getting a franchise ahead of the tournament.
In 2021, Suresh Raina was dropped from CSK. Raina was not bought by any team in the subsequent IPL player auction. Thus, Raina appeared as a commentator in IPL.
The fact that Raina practiced wearing the jersey of Chennai Super Kings team is appreciated by cricket buffs across the globe.
“There are many reasons for Suresh Raina to cut ties with Chennai Super Kings. But instead, Raina is practicing wearing a CSK jersey. It’s a testament to Raina’s discipline on the team,” tweeted a CSK fan.
The 35-year-old southpaw played 12 years for CSK from 2008. Raina, who was the trusted player of skipper MS Dhoni, played a pivotal role for the CSK team to emerge IPL champions four times and the Champions League tournament twice.
Raina has played a total of 205 IPL matches in his career so far. He has scored 5,528 runs at an average of 32 with a century and 39 fifties at an excellent strike rate of 136.7.