Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina wasn’t retained by Chennai Super Kings at the Indian Premier League auction 2022, and he was remained unsold in IPL 2022 mega auction, however he was expected to be roped in by some other franchise.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans – who are one of the two new IPL franchises – were dealt with a blow, as English batter Jason Roy pulled himself out of the tournament. The right-hander cited that he wants to spend more time with his family. There are many speculations about who will replace the English opener in the Gujarat Titans squad. Although there’s no official confirmation, many fans want the Hardik Pandya-led side to rope in Suresh Raina as a replacement.
The moment Roy announced that he is opting out of the mega event, cricket fans started trending with Raina’s hashtag on Twitter as fans believe that the southpaw is the perfect replacement for Roy. Notably, both Roy and Raina played together in the 2017 edition of IPL for now-defunct Gujarat Lions. Raina was the skipper of Gujarat Lions when Chennai Super Kings were banned from taking part in the IPL in 2016 and 2017 on corruption charges.
Raina is the fourth-highest run-getter in IPL history. During his IPL term, he made 5528 run by playing 205 matches. However, his performance in the last two season was not good. He missed the 2020 IPL due to the personal reason while he made only 160 runs in the 2021 IPL.