'Maza Aayega Dekh'- Suresh Raina Reveals What MS Dhoni Told Him After CSK Bought Him In IPL 2008 Auction

Former Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina will go down in history as one of the greatest-ever players to have ever featured in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

If MS Dhoni is the soul of the Chennai Super Kings then Suresh Raina is its heartbeat. ‘Chinna Thala’ as he is endearingly called by CSK fans, Suresh Raina has been a run-making juggernaut for the three-time champions over the years and his absence was surely felt by the franchise during their disastrous campaign of 2020 when the southpaw pulled out due to personal reasons.

The southpaw, in his biography co-authored by renowned journalist Bharat Sundaresan, has made many interesting revelations about his cricketing journey.

Raina, who was picked by CSK in the first auction of the IPL, revealed MS Dhoni’s reaction after he was racked up by the franchise. In a quintessential Dhoni way, as Suresh Raina revealed, the three-time IPL-winning captain told the southpaw ‘Maza aayega dekh’

‘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. He said, ‘Maza aayega dekh.’ There was a lot of attention on him, of course,’’ as reported by India TV.

Suresh Raina revealed that he was delighted to be in the same team that had the likes of Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, Stephen Fleming, and of course, MS Dhoni. He also admitted that the IPL strengthened his bond with MSD.

‘’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,’’ he added.

Speaking of Suresh Raina’s IPL numbers, the champion southpaw has racked up at least 350 runs in every season that he played. In 200 IPL games, Raina has 5491 runs- third-most in IPL history- in 195 innings at an average of 33.07 and a strike rate of 136.89 with 39 50s and one hundred.

Also Read: AB de Villiers Concerned About Coming In Ahead Of Other Players Who Have Been Part Of The System – South Africa Coach Mark Boucher