Former Chennai Super Kings star Suresh Raina called it a day on his IPL career yesterday afternoon. He made an announcement on Twitter to inform his fans that he will no longer play in IPL. Many fans remember that IPL 2021 was his last season, but not all remember Suresh Raina’s last IPL Match.
Nicknamed as Mr. IPL, Suresh Raina’s last match was against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. RR won that match by seven wickets, riding on fifties from Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Here’s a look at CSK’s playing XI from that match and where are those players now.
Openers in Suresh Raina’s last match – Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis
The iconic duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis started the innings for CSK in that match. Gaikwad registered his maiden IPL ton and helped the Chennai-based franchise set a 190-run target for the Rajasthan Royals.
Faf du Plessis scored 25 runs off 19 balls. Gaikwad is still a part of the CSK team, but du Plessis has moved to RCB now.
Middle order – Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni (c and wk)
Raina had an uneventful ending to his IPL career as he scored only three runs off five balls. Rahul Tewatia picked up his wicket. Ravindra Jadeja played a fine cameo of 32 runs, while Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali could not make a big impact. MS Dhoni did not get a chance to bat.
All player in the middle-order except Raina are still a part of the CSK squad. Jadeja even captained CSK in IPL 2022 before handing the leadership back to Dhoni.
Bowlers in Suresh Raina’s last match – Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif and Josh Hazlewood
CSK’s bowlers had a forgettable night in Abu Dhabi as RR’s batters demolished them. Both Curran and Hazlewood conceded more than 50 runs each.
Only Asif is a part of the current CSK squad. Curran missed IPL 2022, while Thakur and Hazlewood have joined DC and RCB, respectively.
