5 new tournaments where Suresh Raina could make his debut after retiring from IPL
Suresh Raina announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on Twitter earlier on Tuesday. The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder called it a day on his legendary IPL career a few months after going unsold at the mega auction.
It has been an absolute honour to represent my country & state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of Cricket. I would like to thank @BCCI, @UPCACricket, @ChennaiIPL, @ShuklaRajiv sir & all my fans for their support and unwavering faith in my abilities 🇮🇳
Raina's retirement came as a surprise to many fans because just two days ago, he said that he was looking forward to playing in IPL 2023. However, it looks like he has changed his mind now and does not want to play in the league ever again.
At 35, Raina still has a few years of cricket left in him. Considering the enormous experience he possesses, he could still be an asset for teams in T20 leagues.
Here's a list of five T20 leagues where Suresh can make his debut having retired from the IPL.
#1 Will Suresh Raina play in Road Safety World Series?
A few hours before Raina announced his retirement officially, reports emerged online claiming that he would retire from IPL and domestic matches. The report also stated that he will play for India Legends in the Road Safety World Series 2022.
The tournament will start this Saturday in Kanpur. Neither the organisers nor the India Legends team owners have confirmed Raina's signing so far. It will be interesting to see if he reunites with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh this month.
#2 Legends League Cricket
Another T20 league featuring retired cricketers which will start this month is Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2022. The four-team tournament will begin on September 16 in Kolkata.
Several big names of Indian cricket like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Sreesanth, Parthiv Patel and others will play in LLC T20 2022. The player draft for the competition has ended, but one of the franchises could rope in Raina as a last-minute signing.
#3 Big Bash League
In one of his old interviews, Suresh Raina expressed his desire to play in overseas T20 leagues. He wanted the BCCI to release the non-contracted players to play in leagues outside India.
While the BCCI has not changed their rules, Raina has announced his retirement now and is eligible to play in other leagues. One of the tournaments where he could he make his debut is Australia's Big Bash League.
During his days as an active international cricket, Suresh played four T20I innings in Australia, scoring 104 runs at an average of 52. His strike rate was more than 140, showing that he could be a match-winner for one of the BBL teams.
#4 SA20 League
Chennai Super Kings was the home of Suresh Raina in IPL for a decade. He was a part of the Chennai-based franchise in every season where they qualified for the playoffs.
CSK recently bought the Johannesburg-based franchise in South Africa's T20 league named SA20. With Raina being eligible to play in foreign leagues, CSK could try to sign him.
#5 Abu Dhabi T10 League
Quite a few Indian players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, S Badrinath, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, and Praveen Kumar have played in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.
Suresh Raina could follow in their footsteps because he has played a lot of cricket in the UAE. The T10 format will also suit a big-hitter like him.