Harbhajan also talked about Umesh Yadav failing to find a buyer in IPL 2022 auction.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said that it was a sad sight in the ongoing IPL 2022 auction when veteran batter and his former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) teammate Suresh Raina went unsold on day one of the auction.
Raina had put his base price at INR 2 crores after he was not retained by the four-time IPL champions. However, when his name came up for bidding, there was an uneasy silence in the auction hall, as the auctioneer failed to find any interest in the batter.
He has 5528 runs in 205 IPL matches with one century and 39 fifties to his name at an average of 32.51 and strike rate of 136.76. He also took 25 wickets with his off-spin, making him one of the all-time greats of the Indian Premier League.
Harbhajan Singh reckoned that Raina, who is considered Mr. IPL, going unsold was a 'sad sight for the IPL'. The former India spinner was also taken aback by the fact that no team went for the senior pacer Umesh Yadav as well.
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Speaking to India Today after the end of Day 1 of the auction, Harbhajan said, "It is a very strange sort of thing for me to see someone like Umesh Yadav, who has been playing cricket for so many years and been a consistent member of the Indian cricket team. It's sad that someone did not pick their name at the auction."
Harbhajan said that while Umesh might find buyers on the second day of the auction as he is still a playing member of the Indian team, for someone like Suresh Raina, who retired from international cricket in 2020 along with MS Dhoni, it might be difficult to find a new franchise.
"For me, it was a sad sort of moment of the auction. But I feel he will have a chance tomorrow. Some team will go for him. But not too sure for Raina as he hardly plays any cricket. Of course, he has been a very consistent member of the Chennai Super Kings and is known as Mr. IPL. It is so sad when you see Umesh and Raina not getting a bid. Maybe CSK might buy him tomorrow but it will not be the same thing as you want to get picked in the first round itself. It was a sad sight of the IPL. This is how you reflect on time,” he further added
Chennai Super Kings have bought back most of their core team with buys like Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo and Robin Uthappa.