Abu Dhabi T10 League: Suresh Raina joins Deccan Gladiators

Veteran India batter Suresh Raina is all set to feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 League as he has officially signed up for the Deccan Gladiators. Thus, it will mark Raina's debut in the UAE-based franchise cricket league. 

The UP cricketer officially announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket. Notably, Raina is no longer a contracted player with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he is eligible to participate in overseas franchise leagues.

Suresh Raina set to make his Abu Dhabi T10 League debut

Raina has been roped in by the Deccan Gladiators, which already boasts of having a star-studded lineup including the likes of the terrific Caribbean trio of Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran and Odean Smith, Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed, destructive England opener Jason Roy and Afghanistan mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman etc.

The sixth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League gets underway on November 23 with the Deccan Gladiators facing off against Team Abu Dhabi on the opening day. 

Meanwhile, Raina was the leading run-scorer in IPL for a while and is currently the fifth-highest scorer, having amassed 5528 runs from 205 matches at an average of 32.52 at a blistering strike rate of 136.73, including a century and 35 half-centuries.

The southpaw had to withdraw from the 2020 edition of the tournament due to personal reasons. CSK had a forgettable campaign as they crashed out in the group stages for the first time since the inception of the competition in 2008. 

Even though the Yellow Army did win in the 2021 season, Raina showcased disappointing performances as a result of which he was benched for the knockouts and Robin Uthappa was preferred over  him. 

The veteran middle-order batter was released by the four-time champions ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction and no franchise showed any interest in buying him. In the end, Raina made his commentary debut during the 15th edition of the tournament.