Former India cricketer Vinod Kambli feels that Chennai Super Kings will miss the camaraderie between former India skipper MS Dhoni and prolific batter Suresh Raina. Raina, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, went unsold in the IPL auction (on both days) for the first time in the history of the mega event.
“Suresh Raina #chinnathala who played for Chennai and has been a prolific scorer goes unsold at IPL. We will miss him at the league and he deserves to get a good farewell. IPL will surely miss the camaraderie between Dhoni and Raina. Great friendships should remain intact. #thala and #chinnathala irreplaceable for Chennai,” Kambli wrote on Koo.
Raina has scored 5,615 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 35.31. He also registered 768 runs in the longest format of the game with his highest score being 120.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanath on Monday said, “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 so that`s one of the reasons why we thought he may not fit into this team.”
Chennai Super Kings did not bid for their longtime servant Suresh Raina at the IPL auction because of his ‘current form’, said CEO Kasi Viswanathan on Tuesday. While the social media was abuzz about Raina being ignored and it probably meant an end to the IPL legend’s run in the league, CSK CEO K S Viswanathan said team combination and form meant the left-handed UP batter could not fit into the team.
“Missing out on Raina…He has been a great asset for the side earlier. Considering the current form, he did not fit into the side,” Kasi told news agency PTI.
Raina, an IPL superstar in his own right, having scored a 5,528 runs from 205 matches with 1 century and 39 fifties, went unsold in the auction. He had pegged himself at a base price of Rs two crore in the auction.
CSK veteran Faf du Plessis, a key member of the victorious teams in 2018 and 2021, was snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore as was Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, star of the triumph last year. “We will miss Faf who has been with us for a decade. But, that is the dynamics of the auction,” he added.
(with agency inputs)