One of the major stories from the first day of the IPL 2022 mega-auction was that stalwart Suresh Raina went unsold. It elicited a big reaction from fans, experts, and former cricketers as Raina, known as Mr IPL for his consistent run-scoring over more than a decade, didn’t find a buyer at the auction table on Saturday.
As big this news was, it wasn’t all that shocking considering Raina, who was the torchbearer of CSK’s batting for a decade, has lost his form and his numbers had nosedived.
Raina had scored over 350 runs each season from 2008 to 2019 and was a bank for CSK in the batting department. However, he pulled out of the IPL 2020 on personal grounds and then flopped in the IPL 2021.
Last season the left-hander managed 160 runs in 12 matches at 17 while striking at 125, before he was injured and was replaced by Robin Uthappa in the eleven. His position at number was already taken by Moeen Ali due to the Englishman’s ultra-attacking batting against both pacers and spinners.
“Sad not to see a single bid for Mr IPL @ImRaina in the first round..” Harbhajan Singh tweeted.
Sad not to see a single bid for Mr IPL @ImRaina in the first round.. @IPL #AuctionDay #IPLMegaAuction2022
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) February 12, 2022
Apart from the dip in his batting returns, the left-hander is also without match practice. Raina, who retired from international cricket in 2020, hasn’t played domestic cricket since the last IPL., and surprisingly he had opted out of the domestic matches as well.
Also, Raina who was once a useful part-time spinner for MS Dhoni didn’t bowl a single ball last season.
One of his highlight characteristics was his superb fielding, whether in the circle or in the outfield. However, injuries and age have slowed him down, his lack of fitness was another major issue forcing the franchises to turn their backs on him.
The 35-year-old Suresh Raina, though, could be snapped up by any franchise when he returns in the auction later on.
