'Absolute honour to represent my country & state': Suresh Raina retires from IPL and domestic cricket

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) icon Suresh Raina has addressed the retirement rumours on social media. Earlier, Raina was seen donning the famous yellow jersey in a viral video on Monday.

Former Team India cricketer Suresh Raina has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday. Before making the announcement on Twitter, the former Indian cricketer was in speculation about taking retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Raina, who announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020, shared a special note to thank the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket In India) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Suresh Raina showcased his batting exploits in a viral video (Suresh Raina Twitter)

“It has been an absolute honour to represent my country & state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of Cricket. I would like to thank @BCCI, @UPCACricket, @ChennaiIPL, @ShuklaRajiv sir & all my fans for their support and unwavering faith in my abilities,” Raina said in his tweet.

Former Team India cricketer Suresh Raina has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday. Raina took to the field for a fruitful batting session on Monday. One of the finest left-handed batters in white-ball cricket, Raina was released by MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the build-up to the mega auction for the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Nicknamed 'Mr IPL', Raina is the all-time leading run-getter of the Yellow Brigade in the world's richest T20 league - the IPL.

Sharing a video on Monday, the former CSK icon showcased his batting exploits in one of his recent net sessions. Rolling back the clock for the CSK faithful, Raina was seen smashing the ball out of the park while donning the famous yellow jersey in the nets. "Growing each day in my happy place," the Indian southpaw captioned his post on Twitter. Raina's latest social media activity became an instant hit among the fans and followers of the Yellow Brigade.

Besides the 2016 and 2017 seasons where CSK were banned from competing in the IPL, former India all-rounder Raina has featured in every single of the cash-rich league from 2008 to 2021. However, Raina was overlooked by the CSK think tank during the 2021 season of the IPL. The explosive batter warmed the bench during the IPL 2021 final. The 2021 edition of the IPL was Raina's final season at CSK before his release. The four-time champions parted ways with Raina ahead of IPL 2022.

One of the most successful players in the IPL, Raina has amassed 5,528 runs from 205 matches. The former CSK star registered 39 half-centuries in the cash-rich league. With the highest score of 100*, Raina averaged 32.52 and batted at a strike rate of 136.76 in the celebrated tournament. Raina last played for CSK when Dhoni & Co. locked horns with Rajasthan Royals at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in 2021.