Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who is lovingly called ‘Mr.IPL’ by his fans, has played an instrumental role for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which is one of the most successful franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League. However, the fans were left shocked when the franchises didn’t bid for him in the 2022 mega auction.
Raina had a lackluster season in the year 2021 as he scored just 160 runs in 12 matches, at an average of 17.77. This was the same season when Robin Uthappa played for CSK mostly at number three. He amassed 230 runs in 12 matches at an average of 20.91 and a strike rate of 134.50. He played two match-winning knocks in Qualifier 1 and in the final match scoring 63 and 31 runs respectively.
Suresh Raina On Why MS Dhoni Preferred Robin Uthappa Over Him
Recently, Raina revealed how he convinced the CSK captain MS Dhoni to play Robin Uthappa instead of him. He said that he told Dhoni that Uthappa has worked so hard throughout the season in 2021 and he deserved to be in the squad. He said:
“MS Dhoni took permission from me to play Uthappa instead of me, I told him to play Uthappa as he worked so hard through the season even when he wasn’t getting an opportunity in 2021”
Raina shares a close bond of friendship with legendary captain MS Dhoni. The bond is so strong that moments after Dhoni announced his retirement on 15th August 2020, Raina also took to his social media and announced his retirement as well.
Speaking about his friendship with Dhoni, in interaction with Sports Tak, Raina said:
“We played so many matches together. I was fortunate to play with him for India, and with CSK. We got a lot of love. I’ve come from Ghaziabad, Dhoni from Ranchi. I played for MS Dhoni, then I played for the country. That’s the connection. We’ve played so many finals, we won the World Cup. He’s a great leader and a great human being.”
Meanwhile, Raina and Uthappa recently had a reunion during the IPL 2023, where they met Dhoni and other CSK teammates.
Unfiltered emotion 🥹🫂#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/o9zjxLG0wn
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 5, 2023
