"I thought one or two franchises might go for him because of his experience" - Deep Dasgupta on Suresh Raina going unsold at IPL 2022 auction
Former Indian wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta felt it was surprising that none of the ten franchises put in a bid for Suresh Raina. The 35-year-old will not be a part of the tournament for only the second time after missing the 2020 edition.
The flamboyant left-handed batter attracted no bids at his base price of ₹2 crores. Raina's former franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also did not express any interest in him after spending the majority of the auction trying to bring back their players.
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Dasgupta noted that franchises could have used Raina's experience among their ranks, but also enlisted the downfall to the move. He said on his YouTube channel:
"Raina is Mr. IPL to a great extent. He is an IPL great but has dipped in the recent seasons. But I was a little surprised because there are 10 teams and when you have someone like Raina, who has a lot of experience. Maybe he has another year or two left. I thought one or two franchises might go for him because of his experience."
Dasgupta continued:
"But I understand it would be tricky as well because it will be weird in the dressing room to bring in a player of his calibre and play him as a backup. He also has played much cricket either, nothing much in domestic competitions and that might have went against him."
Raina had a poor IPL 2021 across two legs, with only 160 runs across 12 matches. He was not included in the final match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as well.
With Raina not in the CSK squad, the team have roped in additional options for the middle order. Dasgupta notes that Devon Conway is a good prospect and feels Robin Uthappa should partner Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top. Dasgupta added:
"I think Robin Uthappa should open with Ruturaj Gaikwad. Conway is also a good option but I feel he's well suited in the middle order because he plays spin well. I think they will go with Uthappa and Gaikwad at the top. Adam Milne was a very good and cheap buy. Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Adam Milne and Conway might be their overseas players in the playing XI."
"Rajvardhan Hangargekar is a work in progress" - Deep Dasgupta
CSK were active in the later stages of the auction, trying to rope in youngsters. The team successfully managed to secure the services of Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who was part of the Indian U-19 World Cup squad. Dasgupta does not believe the all-rounder is ready for the biggest stage at the moment. He said:
"Rajvardhan Hangargekar is a work in progress. I don't think he is completely ready. He is talented, he has all the ingredients. He is a sound hitter of the ball. He has pace as well. He has the skills but it'll take him another year to get ready. He is more of a bowler and a lower-order bat, who can score useful runs but I would not call him, as of now, an all-rounder."
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The youngster had a prolific campaign in the West Indies, where he displayed his all-round abilities. Hangargekar's three consecutive sixes against Ireland was voted as the Play of the Tournament as well.