IPL 2022 Auction: Kasi Viswanath, CEO of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), explains why the team passed on Suresh Raina, who went unsold.
Suresh Raina, a legend in the Indian Premier League, went unsold at the two-day IPL auction 2022. Many fans were taken aback, given Raina’s stellar performances with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) throughout the years. In his first tenure with CSK, the 2011 World Cup champion played from 2008 until 2015. From 2018 until 2021, he was a member of CSK once again. With 5,528 runs from 205 games, he is the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL history. He has a total of 4,687 runs for CSK in the IPL. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath revealed why the franchise did not bid for Raina on YouTube.
“Raina has been one of CSK’s most reliable players for the last 12 years. Of course, not having Raina was tough for us, but you need also realise that squad composition is dependent on the kind and type of team that any team would want to have “, he said.
“That’s one of the reasons we believed he wouldn’t fit in with this group,” he said.
CSK paid Rs 14 crore for Deepak Chahar at the IPL 2022 auction in Bengaluru, making him the most expensive Indian bowler in tournament history.
Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, and Uthappa were also purchased back by the club for Rs 6.75 crore, Rs 4.40 crore, and Rs 2 crore, respectively.
The CSK CEO also expressed disappointment at not being able to re-sign Faf du Plessis, who was instrumental in Dhoni’s side winning the trophy last season. Royal Challengers Bangalore bought the South African.
“We will miss him, we will lose Faf who has been with us for the previous decade,” he added, explaining the auction’s procedure and dynamics.