ITL 2022: New debut for Suresh Raina in the league after going unsold

The excitement for the Indian T20 League mega auction concluded in February was unparalleled, but it also brought some low moments. Suresh Raina going unsold at the event made fans unhappy, but they now have something to be excited about. Raina will be seen in a new role for the 2022 season.

Reports have suggested that Raina, along with Ravi Shastri, will be joining the commentary team for the upcoming season. Ravi Shastri, in the meantime, stepped down as India's head coach following the T20 World Cup last year. He was reportedly approached by one of the two new teams for a coaching stint ahead of the Indian T20 League, but things did not go as anticipated.

"You all know that Raina won’t be a part of the IPL this time but we somehow wanted to link him with the tournament. He has a massive fan following and there is a reason why he is known as Mr IPL. As for Shastri, he was part of Star Sports English commentary team. But he didn’t commentate after the final of Champions Trophy in 2017 as he became India’s head coach," an ITL source told Jagran.

This will be a new role for Raina as he has no experience as a commentator. Shastri, on the other hand, has a lot of experience as a broadcaster and commentator. However, Shastri's experience is mostly in English Cricket. It has been understood that the two will be a part of the Hindi commentary team.

At the same time, Ravi Shastri has been said to be taking Hindi lessons on Zoom from a specialist, as well as undertaking some commentary rehearsals ahead of the season. The veteran cricketer has many great moments with the mic, including the 2011 World Cup.