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Suresh Raina (Image source: BCCI/IPL)
Suresh Raina was an integral part of the Chennai franchise for all the years that he played in the Indian T20 League. He played with them for all the seasons they were a part of the Indian T20 League. Raina, also known as Chinna Thala, was a loyal deputy to MS Dhoni. He had some great performances for the team over the years until 2021. Unfortunately, Chennai showed no interest in buying him at the auction, and he went unsold.
However, his love for the Chennai team still continues. The 35-year old has now started a new journey in the ITL as he joined the broadcast team. He made his debut as a commentator and expert for the 2022 season. On a request from a fan during the live broadcast, Suresh Raina sang the lines of Chennai's theme song.
Watch the video and some reactions to it here
Never ending love of @ImRaina
And @ChennaiIPL 💛🥺🫂 pic.twitter.com/aMzXxLGZSG— Manoj Maddy (@edits_manoj) March 31, 2022
Raina 🥺🥺🥺🥺💔
— ♥️ Vijay ♥️ (@Thalapathyjosap) March 31, 2022
@ImRaina ♥️ pic.twitter.com/wfkbVByc11
— Manikandan™♡𓃵 (@thala_veriyan_5) March 31, 2022
We Miss u Raina #chinnathala
— Sudhir Ramireddy (@SudhirRamireddy) April 1, 2022
The last two seasons of the tournament were not the best for Raina. Raina did not participate in the 20-20 edition of the tournament after flying to UAE, citing personal reasons. He returned to play in the 2021 season but had no impact in any of the matches. As a result, Chennai was not too keen on spending 2 crores on him for 2022 season.
Meanwhile, Chennai didn't have the best starts in the Indian T20 League 2022. They lost their first two matches against Kolkata and Lucknow. This is the first time they have lost their first two games of the season. They will play their next game against Punjab on the 3rd of April.