New Delhi: Suresh Raina was on Tuesday named the captain of the Rajkot franchise in the upcoming Indian Premier League. The team has been named Gujarat Lions.
Former Australian batsman Brad Hodge has been appointed head coach. This will be Hodge's first full-time appointment as coach.
The franchise was acquired by Intex Technologies for a period of two years in the IPL franchise auction held in 2015.
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In the previous editions of the Indian Premier League, Suresh Raina played for Chennai Super Kings, till the former IPL champions were suspended for two years by a Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha panel for corruption.
Reacting after being named as skipper, Suresh Raina said ''I played for CSK all this while and it's an emotional moment but you have to be a professional. I am excited to play for Gujarat Lions now''.
Speaking on MS Dhoni's techniques, the stylish batsman said ''We have played few finals together. So I am not sure which team will make it to the finals. It will be a challenge for us on how to stop Dhoni's helicopter shot''.
The ninth edition of the Indian Premier League will kick-start on April 8 and will go on till May 24.
