Watch: Suresh Raina’s old video where he said he will feature in ITL 2022 only if MS Dhoni plays resurfaces after mega auction

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina, in an interview last year, had said he won’t feature in the 2022 Indian T20 League if MS Dhoni doesn’t play. The video has gone viral as Raina has gone unsold in the auction last weekend. The left-hander was released in November last year. However, the team had retained its skipper, MS Dhoni, alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali.

Raina and Dhoni have played for the franchise for the most part of their ITL career. After Chennai was suspended for 2016 and 2017, they played for now-defunct Gujarat and Pune. Both returned to the franchise in 2018 and helped their team to win their third title. Both players announced their retirement from international cricket on 15 August 2020.

Dhoni had led the Indian team in the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy which included Raina. The duo was part of the fourth ITL title-winning team last year. The 35-year-old was slotted in the second round of Day One and went unsold. Notably, he was given a chance to be picked by the franchises in the last moments of Day two, where other unsold players were presented.

The Men In Yellow went to buy the likes of Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Mitchell Santner and N Jagadeesan, who have previously played for the team. Former Kiwi left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, after the auction, had siad that looking at few teams, he feels that Raina could have been picked by any team. 

In the video, the interviewer asked Raina if he doesn’t get to play for Chennai, which team he would like to play. Raina replied saying if Dhoni doesn’t play in 2022, he won’t play.

Watch the video here

https://twitter.com/CoverDrive001/status/1492884881839652867?s=20&t=EoUku0-WWJkj9Y6Gg0nvFQ