Kumar Sangakara explains why Suresh Raina went unsold in mega auction

Last month, during the Indian T20 League mega auction, Suresh Raina went unsold. Notably, Raina was the only player who wasn’t given another chance to be signed by either of the ten teams. Every other player was given another opportunity to be picked by the team, with some of them being picked in the second chance. Meanwhile, after going unsold, Raina’s fans took to Twitter and opined that this might be the end of his career.

After looking at his last year’s numbers, their fears might not be wrong. The left-hander had a horrendous time with the bat as he could only muster 160 runs in 12 games, averaging 17.77 with one fifty. Another theory fueling the fans is that Raina has been retired from international cricket for over two years. Also, the 35-year-old hasn’t played domestic cricket from August 2020 till now, which is why fans are concerned about his future.

Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara, director of Cricket for Rajasthan franchise revealed the possible reason why Raina went unsold in the mega auction. Sangakkara said that Raina going unsold does not mean he is a bad player, adding that a player is selected based on what he can give to the team and if he fits in team dynamics.

“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.