Suresh Raina Set to Make a Comeback to Cricket After Being Signed by Deccan Gladiators in Abu Dhabi T10 2022 League
Suresh Raina does not hold any BCCI contract and thus is eligible to play in the overseas leagues.
Deccan Gladiators have signed the southpaw. Raina has retired from both the IPL and international cricket. He is qualified to play in international leagues because he is not under contract with the BCCI.
In the Gladiators’ camp, Raina will work alongside Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran and Odean Smith, Taskin Ahmed, and Jason Roy Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The sixth season of the Abi Dhabi T10 2022 League will begin on November 23 with a match between Team Abi Dhabi and the Deccan Gladiators.
Looking back to the Raina’s last matches played:
Before Raina starts a new phase of his career, we will take a look back at his last appearances in all formats
Raina’s last T20I match – vs England, 2018
Raina played his last T20I against England in Bristol on July 8, 2018. He neither batted nor bowled in that game. England batted first and set a 199-run target for the visitors.
Chasing a big target, India won the game in 18.4 overs, riding on KL Rahul’s hundred. All-rounder Hardik Pandya played an excellent cameo of 33 runs from 14 balls in that match.
Suresh Raina’s last ODI match – vs England, 2018
Like his Test career, Suresh Raina’s ODI career, too, did not have an eventful ending. He scored one run off four deliveries in his last ODI game against England at Headingly in 2018. Raina handed a catch to Joe Root off Adil Rashid’s bowling on the fourth ball of his innings.
Raina’s last IPL match – vs Rajasthan Royals, 2021
As mentioned ahead, Raina continued to play in the IPL after retiring from international cricket. However, poor form and injury issues forced Raina to say goodbye to the world’s number one T20 league earlier than he would have expected.
His last match was for Chennai Super Kings against the Rajasthan Royals on October 2, 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a magnificent ton in that contest.
Raina came out to bat at number three but managed only three runs off five balls. Rahul Tewatia took his wicket before he could settle in the middle. CSK lost that game by seven wickets.
Team Owner Gaurav Grover said, “Bringing on board a player of the caliber of Suresh Raina is a very exciting prospect for the Deccan Gladiators. He will definitely add a lot of ability to our batting setup and we are banking on him to score a lot of runs. Suresh Raina’s inclusion makes our side stronger, and we need as much of it as possible as we look to defend our title this year.”
The Abu Dhabi T10’s sixth season is scheduled to run from November 23 to December 4. On the first day itself, the Gladiators take the field for the second game of the day and play their first game against Team Abu Dhabi.
