Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) paid a heartfelt tribute to Suresh Raina after the former India batter announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday (September 6).
Raina was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad till last year. In fact, the southpaw was associated with CSK since the inception of IPL in 2008 barring the two years when the franchise was banned.
WATCH- Fans react in joy as Suresh Raina returns to practice donning a CSK jersey
Taking to Twitter, Raina confirmed his retirement decision, thanking the BCCI, CSK and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association in his message.
In reply, CSK acknowledged Raina's contribution to their success over the years.
“The streets of Anbuden will never forget what Chinna Thala meant to each and every one of us! Thank You, Mr. IPL! #ChinnaThalaForever #WhistlePodu #Yellove,” CSK wrote.
In another tweet, the Chennai-based franchise said: “The one who was there when glory was etched in history! The one who made it happen! Thank You for everything, Chinna Thala!”
Suresh Raina, who went unsold at the IPL mega-auction earlier this year, had played a key role in CSK’s four title wins. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL history with 5,528 runs from 205 games. For CSK, he has scored 4,687 runs.
Raina had called time on his India career on 15th August 2020, minutes after his CSK skipper MS Dhoni announced his international retirement.
"Suresh Raina told us two days back about his decision that he is leaving IPL and we respect his decision and wish him luck. He is an integral part of CSK ever as he has done a lot for CSK till ten years, wish him luck for future," KS Viswanathan, CEO of Chennai Super Kings, told news agency ANI.
While Raina failed to make a mark in the longest format despite slamming a Test ton on debut, he established himself as one of India’s best white-ball cricketers.
The left-hander represented the country in 226 ODIs, amassing 5615 runs at an average of 35.15 with 5 hundreds and 36 half-centuries. He also featured in 78 T20Is, scoring 1605 runs at a strike-rate of 134.87, including 1 ton and 5 fifties.
