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Reputations made by younger players could have led to Raina going unsold: Sangakkara
Follow UsThe former India batter is one of six players to have scored over 5,000 runs in the IPL
Suresh Raina did not find any buyers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction, meaning this is the first time the former India batter does not have a team to represent in the league.
Raina, who has won four titles with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was not retained by the franchise. Instead, CSK decided to hang on to their skipper MS Dhoni, opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali
Speaking on why Raina did not get picked, Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara reckons it is because of many younger players taking giant strides.
“There are different ways to look at it. As the years go by, players change and reputations are also made by new younger players,” Sangakkara said during a conversation on ‘Red Bull Cricket’ on Clubhouse.
Further explaining, the former Sri Lanka captain said that certain players are perhaps not suited 'for that particular season.'
“In the case of Suresh Raina, his reputation is unbelievable in IPL cricket. He has been an absolute legend, one of the best and top-most performers season after season," the Sri Lanka legend said.
"When you go into granular detail, perhaps the player is not suited for that season. It takes nothing away from the player being one of the best, or the player being of absolutely high quality and it is something that analysts, coaches, and owners look for."
Raina is one of six players to have scored over 5,000 runs in the IPL. He is currently the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament's history with 5,528 runs, behind Rohit Sharma (5,611), Shikhar Dhawan (5,784) and Virat Kohli (6,283).
The IPL 2022 season kicks off on March 26 with CSK taking on the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.