Veteran batsman Suresh Raina went unsold in the two-day IPL 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. The veteran cricketer was released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the auction.
Raina registered himself at a reserve price of Rs2 crore. However, he went unsold on day 1 and didn’t return during the accelerated auction as well. While the fans were left disappointed by the decision, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath has explained the rationale behind their decision to not buy Suresh Raina.
Speaking on a video released on CSK’s YouTube channel, he 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, no 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.”
Super Thanks for all the Yellove memories, Chinna Thala!🥺
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— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) February 13, 2022
Along with Suresh Raina, CSK also didn’t avail the service of Faf du Plessis. Kasi Viswanath stated that the team will miss both of them, who have been an integral part of the franchise.
“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,” Kasi said.
Suresh Raina was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad that won their fourth IPL title last year. However, he had a poor campaign, managing 160 runs in 12 games at an average of 17.77 and a strike rate of 125.
Overall, he has amassed 5528 runs in 205 IPL games at an average of 32.51 and a strike rate of 136.76, including one hundred and 39 fifties. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in tournament history, after Virat Kohli (6283), Shikhar Dhawan (5784) and Rohit Sharma (5611).