IPL Auction 2022: ‘It was very difficult for us’, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath explains why franchise didn’t pick Suresh Raina – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

The recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction saw a lot of surprises, with many big names going unsold including former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Suresh Raina. Fans of the MS Dhoni-led team were stunned to see Raina not being considered for the squad, despite many power-packed performances for the team from 2008 onwards.

Now, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath has stated his view on Raina’s exclusion from the franchise. In a YouTube video uploaded on the official account of Chennai Super Kings, Viswanath has stated that CSK did not bid for the left-hand batsman because they felt he might not fit in the team they wanted to create at this point in time.

Stating that Raina was one of the most consistent performers for CSK in the last 12 years, Viswanath said that “it was very difficult for us, not to have Raina but at the same time, you should also understand that the team composition depends on the form and kind of team which any team would like to have.”

Viswanath also added that it was one of the many reasons the franchise thought that Raina might not fit in well with the CSK team.

Suresh Raina in action for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. Sportzpics

Viswanath also expressed disappointment for not being able to retain Faf du Plessis in their team this season. The South African batsman, who was one of the star players of Chennai Super Kings, was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2022 auction.

Both Raina and Faf du Plessis have played for CSK for years. Raina has scored 5,520 runs in 205 matches till date for CSK. The southpaw batsman has scored one century and 39 half-centuries in the IPL till date. However, his last season saw him put up an underwhelming performance of just 160 runs in 12 games, with an average of 17.77 runs.

Meanwhile, CSK bought back Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayadu and Robin Uthappa in the auction. The team also purchased Deepak Chahar for a whopping Rs 14 crore, making him the most expensive Indian bowler at the auction.

Click here to read auction analysis for all IPL teams

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