Suresh Raina went unsold in the IPL 2022 auction.
Suresh Raina, dubbed "Mr. IPL" for his success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception, did not receive a single bid in the IPL 2022 mega auction and went unsold.
The name of the left-handed batter was only mentioned on the first day because none of the teams had requested that he be presented during the accelerated process. Raina's former franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), did not make a bid for him.
While Raina's poor performance in the IPL 2021 could be a reason, Simon Doull believes there are two to three other factors at play. Raina's career has been closely followed by the veteran commentator, who has been a part of the IPL for over a decade.
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Doull said that Raina had lost MS Dhoni's loyalty, which was one of the reasons he wasn't welcomed back.
"There are 2 to 3 parts to it. He lost his loyalty in the UAE. We don't need to go into why that was but you know there's enough speculation about that, so he lost the loyalty. Of all the team, he lost the loyalty of MS Dhoni. So once you do that, you are very very unlikely to be welcomed back. He's not fit and he is scared of the short ball," he told Cricbuzz.
Doull was referring to the incident that occurred when Raina returned from the UAE, where he had traveled with the CSL contingent for the IPL 2020 tournament. However, after COVID-19 struck the Yellow Army's camp, Raina withdrew from the league and returned home. Raina was retained by CSK for the IPL 2021 season, but he missed the final due to a knee injury.
Raina hasn't played much cricket recently, and with his contract expiring this year, it will be difficult for him to return to the IPL. Raina, who was once the league's leading run-scorer, has 5528 runs in 205 games. He has a century and 39 half-centuries in his tally.
Raina has also captained Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2016 and 2017. Raina was a part of CSK's four IPL championship wins.