Not MS Dhoni!! Suresh Raina ditches his best friend to pick the Indian player who should win IPL 2024

Ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), former India batsman Suresh Raina has said Virat Kohli deserves to win the IPL title. The former India captain has been playing in the IPL since its very first season in 2008 but has yet to lay his hands on the coveted title.

He was a part of the RCB teams in 2009 and 2011 that lost the finals. In 2009, RCB lost the final against now-defunct Deccan Chargers before losing the title decider against Chennai Super Kings two years later. In 2013, Virat Kohli replaced Daniel Vettori as the captain of the franchise but could not guide the team to its maiden IPL title.

In 2016, the right-handed batsman enjoyed arguably the best season by an individual in the history of the competition but even that was not enough for his side to win the title. RCB did make it to the final but ended up on the wrong side of the result once again. In that season, Virat Kohli scored a staggering 973 runs with the help of a record four centuries and seven half-centuries.

Virat Kohli deserves to win IPL says Suresh Raina

While Virat Kohli is one of the most decorated batsmen in the history of the IPL, he has yet to win the title. And Suresh Raina believes his former India teammate deserves to win the title at least once. Suresh Raina, who won multiple IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings, stated that Virat Kohli has given his ‘heart and soul to RCB’ and deserves to win the title.

“Virat Kohli deserves to win the IPL Trophy. He has done Incredibly well for RCB over the years, he gives his heart and soul to RCB. So I think he’s deserve to win IPL Trophy,” Suresh Raina told PTI.

Suresh Raina said – "Virat Kohli deserves to win the IPL Trophy. He has done Incredibly well for RCB over the years, he gives his heart & soul to RCB. So I think he's deserve to win IPL Trophy". (PTI) pic.twitter.com/pN4YznNf5b

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) February 27, 2024

Kohli is currently the leading run-scorer in the IPL. In 237 games so far, he has scored 7263 runs with the help of a record seven centuries and 50 half-centuries. Meanwhile, Kohli is expected to return to action next month when the IPL 2024 gets underway. He has not played a competitive game since last month to be with his wife Anushka Sharma who recently gave birth to the couple’s second child.