Suresh Raina IPL 2021 with CSK: Raina Returns

One of India’s greatest middle order batsmen in ODIs – Suresh Raina announced his retirement from International cricket last year. He had stellar of a career in Indian Blues with plenty of match-winning performances. He made his debut back in 2005 against Sri Lanka and made the spot of his own very quickly. Yes, there were disappointments along the way like getting dropped from the World Cup team in 2007 but Suresh Raina made it back with flying colours. He was an integral part of the squad that won the home World Cup in 2011. Apart from his batting, his part-time off-spin is also quite useful in limited overs matches.

Suresh Raina IPL Profile

Suresh Raina in IPL Career and Performance

At the time of the launch of Indian Premier League in 2008, Suresh Raina was slowly getting into his peak in terms of his cricket. As soon as Chennai Super Kings picked him at the auction, fans had high expectations of him. And he delivered in some style, batting at crucial No 3 position for CSK. He has been with Chennai Super Kings for all these years apart from couple seasons in 2016 & 2017 when CSK were banned from IPL.

This South-paw was the highest run scorer of the tournament till recently when Virat Kohli took over. As on date, he is third on the list with an elite record with bat in hand. He has slammed 5491 runs from 195 innings in IPL at an average of 33.07 and at a SR of 136.89. He has been a part of IPL winning squads of Chennai Super Kings in 2010, 2011 & 2018. Apart from that, he also captained Gujarat Lions when he wasn’t with CSK for a couple of years.

Suresh Raina IPL Stats

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Bowling

Related: Ravindra Jadeja IPL 2021

Suresh Raina IPL Price

Suresh Raina was retained by Chennai Super Kings before the IPL auction in 2018. After the ban, CSK were given an option of retaining three players from their original squad of 2015. They decided to go with MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja as their retentions. The price tag for Suresh Raina was INR 11 Cr. Originally, it was a three-year deal but since the mega auction is now pushed back by a year, Suresh Raina is still playing at the same salary for this year’s season as well. This contract fees also depend upon the number of matches that a player plays in a season.

Suresh Raina IPL 2021 Playing Team

Suresh Raina will continue to play for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021 season. As mentioned earlier, Suresh Raina was retained by CSK in 2018 at a price of INR 11 Cr. He has already played couple of impactful innings for Chennai in the first half of this season and he would be looking to do the same in the second half. IPL is all set to resume in the month of September in UAE. After missing last year’s season due to personal reasons, Suresh Raina would be eager to make a mark on this year’s proceedings. With CSK currently in a strong position to make it to the play-offs, fans would be hopeful of a title this year after last year’s disappointments.

FAQs

Which team is Suresh Raina in IPL 2021?

Suresh Raina is part of Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2021 season. Popularly known as ‘Chinna Thala’ among fans of CSK, Suresh Raina is their highest run scorer in the history of the league. With plenty of match winning performances in his resume, he would be looking to add a few more come September no doubt. So far this year, he has scored 123 runs from 7 matches with a highest score of 54 runs in an innings. This year’s returns will also important for Suresh Raina from personal point of view as there is a mega auction just around the corner next year. 

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Who is playing in the middle order alongside Suresh Raina?

Chennai Super Kings have always been a strong outfit in this Moneyball Cricket league. This year also, they have plenty of options to select from for their playing XI. Apart from Suresh Raina, the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni will be playing in the middle order of Chennai Super Kings. There are some doubts about the availability of English players in the second half. So, we are not quite certain of Sam Curran and Moeen Ali returning to UAE as of yet. If they don’t, CSK team management will have to find International replacements for their star players.

Will Suresh Raina be bowling for CSK?

Yes, Suresh Raina is quite useful with his off-spin bowling in limited overs cricket. This comes as a bonus along with his reliable batting capabilities. He has often proved to be ‘Golden Arm’ and has acted as a partnership breaker whenever Captain MS Dhoni has turned to him. Quite often, this kind of bowlers has turned out to be insurance whenever one of the regular bowlers is having a tough outing. In terms of numbers, he has picked up a total of 25 scalps from his IPL career so far. In T20 Cricket, players must be good at more than just one aspect of the game and Suresh Raina is an all-round package that every team wants to have in their ranks.

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