IPL 2022: CSK, Suresh Raina & An Unique Link To Missing Playoffs
New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings has been one of the most successful franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), having made the playoffs every single time till the 2020 season, barring obviously the two years (2016 & 2017) when they were suspended for reasons known to all.
The IPL 2022 has been yet another disappointing campaign for the Yellow Army, with only four wins in 14 matches. This is the second time after 2020 that CSK failed to make it to the playoffs, after a great comeback last year where they won the title once again.
Incidentally, in both the seasons, Suresh Raina didn’t play a single match for the franchise. Raina, one of the greats of the IPL has been one of the pillars of CSK batting over the years and has been possibly one of the most consistent performers for the franchise in the last decade.
The left-hander has also scored the most runs for CSK in IPL. In 200 matches, only second to Dhoni’s 228, Raina has scored 5529 runs playing for CSK at an average of 33.10 and a strike rate of 138.91.
With Raina, most likely not in reckoning for another season with CSK and a career that is almost over, it will be a task for CSK to find a replacement as good as Raina. For now, we can safely assume that the former CSK top-order batter has not just been a leading run-scorer for the Men in Yellow but might also be their lucky charm.
You want that luck by your side – ask any captain.