Kumar Sangakkara reveals why Suresh Raina went unsold in mega auction

During the two-day Indian T20 League 2022 mega auction, Suresh Raina went unsold. Raina was released by Chennai last November ahead of the player retention. The left-hander had a horrendous season with the bat with just 160 runs in 12 games. This might have led the franchise and other teams not to pick him for the upcoming season. Another reason could be his retirement from international cricket alongside MS Dhoni in August 2020.

Since then, the 35-year-old hasn’t played domestic cricket as well. This isn’t the first time, the former India cricketer is not appearing in the ITL. In 2020, he pulled out of the cash-rich league due to the COVID19 scare in the camp, ahead of the season.

Meanwhile, the director of cricket in the Rajasthan team, Kumar Sangakkara has revealed his opinion on Raina going unsold. Sangakkara said that while Raina is a veteran, he might not have fit in the scheme of things for teams.

“There are different ways to look at it. As the years go by, players change and reputations are also made new by younger players. 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.
“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,” Kumar Sangakkara said during a conversation on ‘Red Bull Cricket’ on Clubhouse.

Raina is one of the veterans of the Indian T20 League. He has played 205 games in the tournament, with 5528 runs to his name.