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The biggest surprise of the mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, probably came when former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina remained unsold at the two-day long mega auction. For the first time in the history of IPL, Raina is set to miss an IPL tournament.
A new perspective
While talking about this, former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull explained why the former CSK batter- Raina had “lost the loyalty of the team” and “the loyalty of MS Dhoni” as well.
“There are two to three parts to it. He lost his loyalty in the UAE, we don't need to go on (and talk about) why it was. There's enough speculation about that. He lost the loyalty of the team and he lost the loyalty of MS Dhoni. Once you do that, you're very unlikely to be welcomed back,” Doull was quoted while talking to Cricbuzz.
“You're not fit and you're scared of the short ball. You're not playing 500 USD for him in any auction,” the 52-year-old former Kiwi pacer added.
The background
It is important to mention that back in 2020, Raina came back from United Arab Emirates (UAE), amid the growing threats of the Covid-19 virus, without playing a single match for CSK.
In 2021, Raina did play for CSK but the southpaw did not have a memorable outing in IPL and he also had to suffer a knee injury.
Since the first edition of IPL in 2008, Raina represented CSK in all the editions (apart from the 2016 and 2017 seasons).
While talking about Raina, the former New Zealand pacer said that Raina “has been an absolute great of the IPL.”
“He's been an absolute great of the IPL. One of the leading lights in the first 8-9 years, but unfortunately time comes to an end. You do silly things and you pay the price.”
CSK CEO speaks
On the other hand, speaking on YouTube, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath opened up on this matter.
"Raina has been one of the most consistent performers for CSK for the last 12 years. Of course, it was very difficult for us, not 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", Kasi Viswanath had said.
"So that's one of the reasons why we thought he may not fit into this team," he further added.
Players retained ahead of the mega auction
CSK had retained four players- MS Dhoni (Rs 12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 16 crore), Moeen Ali (Rs 8 crore) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 6 crore), ahead of the IPL mega auction 2022.
The recent mega auction for the IPL 2022 turned out to be a grand affair after it offered various surprises and many shocks as well. The mega auction for the 15th edition of IPL was held in Bengaluru, on February 12 and February 13.
