Suresh Raina, it can be said, without much doubt, was one of the finest ever players produced by the famed and legendary Chennai Super Kings side, that’s a five time champion in the IPL fanfare and history.
His breathtaking batting, attacking ways for run scoring and the ability to strike useful runs in just about any match situation held the CSK outfit in good stead and always steadied the struggling ship if such situations ever arose.
There were no fewer than 8 separate occasions where Raina amassed over 400 runs for the outfit, most famously scored an unbeaten 100 in the 2013 season against KXIP, was also the first ever player in IPL’s famous history to cross 5000 runs and even stuck 714 runs in 24 play off fixtures.
Suresh Raina reveals his favourite CSK squad of ALL TIME! 💛 🥹
Catch the new exclusive episode of Baith & Bol with Aakash Chopra, available now on the CREX app! 🎙️🔥 pic.twitter.com/DjuKIfGhah
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 4, 2026
In that capacity, it won’t be wrong to call Suresh Raina an IPL legend and a true bonafide hero for world famous Chennai Super Kings side.
Now, interestingly enough, in a recent interactive session brought on exclusively by Lava presents Baith & Bol for Crex, he happened to visit some of his most memorable moments from his time back then with the CSK outfit. It’s an outfit that actually needs no introduction and has emerged as a cult for the cricket lovers around the world.
When asked by Aakash Chopra as to who were his favourites in the Chennai Squad back from that time, the following is what Raina had to say:
“After we were banned from the tournament in the 2016 and 2017 editions or season, the 2018 squad was a very interesting one. This was a time where Harbhajan Singh (whom he lovingly addressed as Bhajju pa) was in the squad. What was further nice to see was that all our partners – wives – were there with the team. That was a time where Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu from the side were constantly featuring among the runs and featured among the top 5 in that season in terms of number of runs. The way we played, the way we gelled with each other and the way we dominated, it was all brilliant to see!”
Cricket can indeed walk down the memory road and feel nostalgic with such avid and brilliant Cricketers when they recall glorious times with a team that still remains as brilliant as it is popular and glorious to this very day.
