The auction for one of the most prolific batters in league history fails to draw a single bidder, bringing an end to an outstanding T20 career.
It was the summer of 2008 at the time. In Chennai, it's a scorching hot April afternoon. Inside an empty MA Chidambaram Stadium, a handful of youthful aspirants and a few India discards were practising for the newly-formed franchise Chennai Super Kings. Suresh Raina, a 21-year-old was sweating with perspiration and sprinting the laps with intensity. Raina told Sources "CSK has put their faith in me, and I am grateful for that. I'll do everything I can to please the owners and the supporters."
The Uttar Pradesh boy kept his pledge for the next ten years. From a fringe player to 'Mr IPL,' the left-hander played 176 matches for CSK and scored 4687 runs. It showed in his national team exploits, as he became a key part in India's World Cup-winning squad in 2011.
Raina was with the Gujarat Lions during CSK's two-year exile in 2016 and 2017, but he was always a Super King at heart. True, his form had dipped in recent seasons, the most dismal being 2021, when he was dropped at the tail end of the competition, but even the most ardent CSK supporter would have hoped that one of the ten franchises would have picked him.
Raina, who is still only 35 years old, may be nearing the end of her road unless a miracle occurs. CSK have a number of players above the age of 30, including skipper MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, and Robin Uthappa.
The squad boasts excellent trainers and physiotherapists who know how to keep senior players in peak condition. Raina, once the heir apparent to Dhoni's reign, may as well have found his spot in the team if he was half as good as he once was. CSK, on the other hand, had clearly given up on him.
The team's management believed that the previously unquestionable No. 3's skillsets had abandoned him in recent years. He'd gained weight, wasn't as good of a fielder as he once was, and the runs had dried up. Dhoni and Rayudu endured their rough moments as well, but they both showed incredible work ethic to keep delivering the goods.
Raina was granted 12 games by Dhoni despite a bad run in the previous edition, but he couldn't deliver, earning his lowest IPL average (17.38) for a season. Raina was still respected, and when he was dropped by the management, Dhoni stated publicly that it was due to an injury.
Dhoni and Raina had a tremendous bond throughout the first ten years of the IPL, and it showed in their performances for India. It seemed inevitable that the two would find a way to help the squad get out of a difficult spot again and again. After the two won a difficult game for India in the 2015 World Cup against Zimbabwe, Dhoni was asked about their relationship in Auckland and laughed. He had stated, "We just understand our games too well and know what to expect from each other."
Their friendship was so strong that when Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on India's Independence Day in 2020, Raina followed suit. However, things quickly spiralled out of control when CSK was forced to return Raina from Dubai for reasons that they have yet to explain.
The times are changing. Suresh Raina, one of the greats of the IPL, remains unsold.
Raina's retention for the 2021 season came as a surprise, but Dhoni put the bitterness of 2020 behind him and gave the left-hander a fair chance. But it was not to be for the player, who had most likely lost interest.
That in no way diminishes what he accomplished for CSK. "He was simply an outstanding match-winner for us. I recall his innings from the 2008 semifinal match against Kings XI Punjab. It was one of the numerous diamonds, and he will always be remembered as one of CSK's greatest players "L Balaji, the team's bowling coach, told Sources
Raina's CSK career could have been rescued if he had just one more innings like that in the 2021 IPL. However, every beautiful story does not have a happy ending.
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