Bengaluru: Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina, who holds the record for playing in every IPL game since the inception of the league in 2008, will be missing an IPL game for the first time ever as he is flying to Holland to be with his wife Priyanka, who is expecting their first child.
Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge confirmed the news a day before the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"He is not coming. He is with his wife and child. So, this will be the first time in the history of the IPL that Raina will be missing a match," he told reporters on the eve of the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy stadium here.
Probably Brendon McCullum would take the leadership tomorrow, he added.
Hodge further said it will be a huge loss for the team as he is a player with a lot of IPL experience.
"It is a huge loss if someone has almost 4,000 runs in the IPL history. Having said that we have got some players who can step into his shoes. We have players like Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Bravo - they are all match winners. They can step up and win a game from any position," he said.
Hodge said the team has not decided on who will lead the side.
"We haven't decided yet ... so, we will make a call tomorrow. I imagine on this wicket there are plenty of blokes who would put their hand up as number three batsman. We will try our best to cover Suresh Raina's absence," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
