Suresh Raina has pulled the curtains down on his glorious cricketing career with immediate effect, as he confirmed on Twitter. Raina last played for India four years ago, and his most recent appearance in professional cricket came in the IPL 2021. 

“It has been an absolute honor to represent my country & state UP,” wrote Raina. “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 was a vital cog in India’s limited-overs side for over a decade, forging numerous memorable partnerships down the order, alongside MS Dhoni. He had already announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018, just a few hours after MS Dhoni did. But Raina kept playing franchise cricket for Chennai Super Kings. 

Arguably the first Indian superstar of the IPL, Raina failed to attract buyers in the mega auction for the IPL 2022, after he was released by his Chennai Super Kings a year ago. Raina was also involved in a rift with his long-term franchise and decided to leave the tournament midway in 2021.

While Raina maintained he walked out due to personal reasons, the franchise boss N Srinivasan stated that the southpaw behaved like a prima donna, and his team is better without him. 

Raina is among the most successful batters in the history of the Indian Premier League, playing over 200 matches and amassing 4042 runs at a healthy strike rate of 136. His only century in the tournament came in 2013 against Punjab Kings, when Raina came to crease on 27/1, and blasted 100 off just 53 deliveries. 

But the most memorable knock – one that has become a cult classic – came in Qualifier 2 against the same opponent in 2014. The CSK were staring at a mammoth defeat after losing a few early wickets in the pursuit of 226. 

But Raina revitalized the chase with his blazing knock, slamming 87 off just 25 deliveries. Although CSK still ended up on the losing side, Raina’s fearsome batting has etched in the memories of those who saw him bat that night.

With no contractual obligations to the BCCI, Raina may appear for the franchise league in South Africa and UAE – where the majority of the investors are the present IPL clubs. 

Here’s how the internet reacted to Raina’s retirement: