The camaraderie between former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina goes a long way. After sharing the Indian dressing room, the duo also came together in the Indian Premier League, as both were bought by Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural IPL auction in 2008.
Bar 2016 and 2017 seasons when the CSK were suspended, both the players have played together for the franchise.
In his upcoming autobiography 'Believe', Raina opened up on the moment CSK bought him in the first-ever auction of the tournament. He also revealed MS Dhoni's reaction to Raina's signature by the franchise.
“The IPL auctions happened, and like every other cricketer in the country, I was waiting eagerly to know which team I would be playing for. I was elated to go to the Chennai Super Kings. It meant Mahi Bhai and I would be playing for the same team. I heard from him almost immediately after I was bought in the auction,” Raina wrote in his book, which will be released on July 19.
“He said, ‘Maza aayega dekh.’ There was a lot of attention on him, of course. And looking at some of the other figures whom Chennai had bought—Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Stephen Fleming — I was just delighted to be in the same team as them. The IPL strengthened my bond with Mahi Bhai even further,” it further read.
Raina has been one of the most successful batsmen in IPL history. He is currently the highest run-getter for CSK (third-highest in the league), with 5.491 runs in 200 matches with a strike rate of 136.89.
The left-hander has lifted the IPL trophy on three occasions with the CSK, last winning the tournament in 2018 when the Super Kings made a comeback after a two-year suspension.
