Suresh Raina returns to IPL! Former CSK star set to don a new role in upcoming season
Suresh Raina set to to return to IPL in a new role. | Photo - IPL |
After going unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction last month, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) superstar Suresh Raina is all set to make his comeback to the league in a completely new role. Raina will be making his commentary debut in the upcoming IPL 2022 and will be looking to make his presence felt in the commentary box during the season.
Raina, who is regarded as one of the best players in IPL history, is the leading run-getter of all time for Chennai Super Kings. Raina played an instrumental role in CSK's success over the years before being released by the franchise ahead of the upcoming season. Once the leading run-getter of all time in the IPL, Raina has 5528 runs in 205 matches to his name in the league.
While many had expected CSK to buy Raina back at the IPL 2022 mega auction, the four-time champions decided against roping him back. His final appearance for CSK came during IPL 2021 last year. Raina will now be seen in the commentary box along with some of the legends of the game.
Apart from Raina, former India head coach Ravi Shastri is also part of the star-studded commentary panel for IPL 2022 announced by Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the league. Shastri, whose contract as the head coach of the Indian team expired last year, will make his return to the commentary box after a long gap.
Both Raina and Shastri are part of Star Sports'Hindi commentary panel for IPL along with the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Aakash Chopra, Parthiv Patel and others. The English commentary team for IPL 2022 will be headlined by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Matthew Hayden, Simon Doull and Kevin Pietersen among others.
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IPL 2022 is all set to get underway from March 26 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game of the season at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While Raina has opted for commentary, he has not yet announced his retirement from IPL and can be roped in by any franchise as a replacement player.