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Suresh-Raina
Chennai's star batsman Suresh Raina will make a comeback in the 14th edition of the IPL after missing the previous season. Many fans assumed that his absence in the 2020 season would see the team release him in the auction pool ahead of the IPL 2021. However, the Yellow Army decided to retain their vital cog, and the southpaw earned a new contract. This time, the former Indian batsman will also be a part of an elite club. Suresh Raina will become the fourth Indian batsman to be part of the Rs 100 crore elite club.
Several cricket fans complained that CSK's failure in the 13th edition was because of Suresh Raina's absence. Considering his form after retirement, the batsman hasn't looked at his best. Raina made a comeback playing professional cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Uttar Pradesh. He could just manage to smash one fifty in the five matches.
Other members of Rs 100 crore club
According to sources, the new contract will fetch the southpaw a whopping amount Rs 11 crore. Other cricketers to get into triple-digits are MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The 34-year-old is CSK's most successful batsman with 4,527 runs from 164 matches. The batsman has already retired from international cricket, but CSK still considers him an essential cog in their wheel. Raina has been in the franchise since the inception of the league in 2008. For two seasons, the left-handed batsman featured for the Gujarat Lions as Chennai Super Kings were suspended due to their involvement in the IPL betting scandal.
After CSK returned to the IPL in 2018, Raina re-united and played an essential role in their title victory. The southpaw accumulated 445 runs in 15 matches at an average of 37.38. However, in the 2019 season, Raina didn't look at his best as he scored 383 runs in 17 games at an average of 23.93. The batsman was expected to make up in the 2020 season, but he decided to return home citing personal reasons. The forthcoming edition will be quite stimulating to witness if the Yellow Army can bounce back after their IPL 2020 disappointing campaign.