Suresh Raina – The All-format Specialist

Suresh Raina IPL Fantasy

Mr. Indian Premier League, Chinna Thala, the all-format specialist – Suresh Raina has been referred by various names since he first burst on to the international scene back in 2005 as a teenage prodigy. Sixteen years later, he might have retired from the international stage, but the left-hander still commands as much respect as he did when he was in his prime. The first Indian to score a century in all three game formats, Raina is one of the new-age batsmen who redefined how cricket was played in India. 

Right from an early age, Raina was earmarked for greatness. He scored runs by the bucketful in the domestic circuit for Uttar Pradesh and was soon drafted into the senior side. He hit a few roadblocks early on in his career but soon cemented his spot in the Indian middle-order. Raina’s ability to steady the innings in the middle over or play as a dasher in the death makes him an indispensable entity. In addition, Raina is a valuable customer with the ball and is often used to slip in a few overs irrespective of the format. Raina is inarguably one of the best fielders India has seen to top it all of, making him the complete package. 

Raina scored his maiden ODI century against Hong Kong in 2008 and then scored India’s first T20 century against South Africa in 2010. A Test call-up was inevitable, and the southpaw proved he had the pedigree for Test cricket as well as he became just the 12th Indian to score a century on debut. 

Raina was part of the side that lifted the ODI World Cup in 2011 and played a significant role in India’s quarter-final and semi final victories over Australia and India. The all-rounder has also captained India in 12 ODIs and three T20Is. In all, Raina played 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is, and 18 Tests for India. While he was an exceptional limited-overs player, one of the best India has produced, Raina’s shortcomings against the short balls meant his Test career wasn’t as long. Raina announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 August 2020. 

The Indian Premier League went a long way in shaping up Raina’s career. He was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings for US $650,000 for the first three seasons of the IPL and has been the team’s backbone since. For the longest time, Raina was the highest run-scorer in the IPL before being taken over by Virat Kohli after IPL 12. He has so far scored 5368 runs in the IPL, averaging 33.34. This includes 28 half-centuries and one century. Raina was also captain of the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017. He will turn out for the Chennai team in the 14th edition of the IPL after pulling out of the tournament in 2020. 

Suresh Raina Biography

Full NameSuresh Kumar Raina
Born27 November 1986
Birth PlaceMuradnagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Height5’9”
RoleAllrounder
Batting StyleLeft Handed
Bowling StyleRight-Arm Offspin
First Class Debut2002/2003
ODI DebutVs Sri Lanka, July 2005
T20I DebutVs South Africa, Dec 2006
IPL Debut Vs Punjab, April 2008
Test DebutVs Sri Lanka, 2010

Batting Stats & Records 

FormatMRunsHSAvgSR50s100s4s6s
IPL200549110033.08136.86391502202
Test1876812026.4853.15711004
ODIs226561511635.3193.51365476120
T20Is78160410129.16134.795114558

Bowling Stats & Records 

FormatMWktsBBIEconAvgSR
IPL200252/07.3944.7236.32
Test89132/13.4846.3880.08
ODI251363/345.1150.3159.06
T20I91132/67.634.026.85

Recent Matches:

TeamOppositionDateBat & Bowl
Super KingsMumbai Indians01 May 20212
Super KingsSRH28 Apr 202117*
Super KingsRCB25 Apr 202124
Super KingsKKR21 Apr 2021
Super KingsRR19 Apr 202118
Super Kings Mumbai Indians16 Apr 20218
Super Kings PBKS10 Apr 202154
Uttar Pradesh Karnataka18 Jan 20214, 1/15
Uttar Pradesh Tripura16 Jan 20210/23, 36*
Uttar Pradesh J & K14 Jan 20210

Interesting Facts About Suresh Raina 

Suresh Raina is one of the finest limited-overs cricketers produced by India. A handy middle-order batsman, useful off-spinner, and gun fielder, Raina ruled the hearts of Indian fans for years. He did the same for his franchise Chennai Super Kings and continues doing so. Also known as Mr. IPL, Raina has played over 190 games in the cash-rich league. Here are a few interesting facts about Raina.

  • Suresh Raina was the first batsman to score a century in all three formats of the game for India.  
  • Suresh Raina was the 12th Indian to score a Test century on debut.
  • Raina was the first-ever batsman to score a century in a T20I batting at a position lower than No.3. He did so in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010.
  • Raina was the first cricketer to breach the 5000-run mark in IPL. Since then, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan have crossed the milestone.
  • Raina is the first and only cricketer to score 400+ runs in seven consecutive seasons at the IPL. He did so from 2008-2014. 
  • Raina was also the Indian cricketer to score 6000 and 8000 runs in T20 cricket.

How Raina’s stats will help you in Fantasy Cricket?

Knowing the relevant numbers of any cricketer is essential when you are building your fantasy cricket team. His recent form, statistics, and how well he has done in various venues are key. This becomes even more important for players such as Suresh Raina because he will come with a high credit score. To have him in your fantasy team, you will need to make a lot of space, so the above stats might help you when you are building your fantasy team. You can look at these stats on MPL & get updates from our Blog, to select the best players for your team. Download MPL Fantasy App and stand a chance to win cash prizes every single day. 

As the IPL season is approaching, we’ve created a list of tips & tricks for you to understand how it works. 

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