Suresh Raina recently spoke about his dressing-room tale of the Doug Bollinger wig snatch and remains one of IPL’s most human and unforgettable moments. In the match during the IPL 2010 clash between Chennai
Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk, Australian left-arm seamer Doug Bollinger dismissed Sourav Ganguly early. The wicket was crucial and excited CSK fielder Suresh Raina sprinted in for the usual high-energy celebration and reached for Bollinger’s hair. What followed was pure comedy gold. The entire piece of hair came off in his hand in front of a packed stadium.
“Yes, I remember an incident when I was playing for CSK. Doug Bollinger had taken Dada’s (Sourav Ganguly’s) wicket, so I ran towards him to celebrate and tried to snatch his hair. Didn’t know it was fake. His wig came straight into my hands,” Raina later recalled. The Australian pacer who had been dealing with hair loss and was known for his transplants or wig at the time, was not amused.
Raina also admitted he was scared in that instant. “I was actually scared. Bollinger was like, ‘you can’t touch my hair, you don’t know much effort I put into it’.” After the incident, he said he deliberately kept his distance during future celebrations, sticking to hand gestures only. This story which was shared years later by the former CSK batter has gone viral on social media.
How Raina and Bollinger helped shape CSK’s golden run from 2010 to 2012
Suresh Raina and Doug Bollinger were teammates at Chennai Super Kings during a golden stretch for the franchise from 2010 to 2012 where they won multiple titles. The left hand batter was already a key player of the side with his consistent, explosive batting and a fan favourite. While Bollinger arrived as a sharp left-arm pace option and quickly became a key weapon in the bowling attack. The left arm pacer from Australia played in 27 IPL matches for CSK across those three seasons, taking 37 wickets at an impressive average of 18.73 and an economy of around 7.22. His best figures were a match-winning 4/13 against the Deccan Chargers in 2010.
He played a significant role in CSK’s title-winning campaigns in both 2010 and 2011, providing early breakthroughs and control with the new ball. In 2010 he took 12 wickets in 8 matches; in 2011 he claimed 17 wickets in 13 games. Raina was at his best as CSK’s premier middle-order batter. Across his long association with the franchise he amassed 4687 runs. Together they formed part of the successful core under MS Dhoni that delivered back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. Bollinger’s pace and Raina’s batting firepower complemented each other perfectly.
