IPL 2022: Kumar Sangakkara explains why Suresh Raina went unsold at mega auction

The IPL 2022 mega auction saw many players make a fortune for themselves and at the same time, there were a few of them who were also roped in by the franchises as steal deals. But unfortunately, some of the seasoned players went unsold as they found no takers, and among them was Suresh Raina.

Despite being one of the most accomplished performers in the IPL history, none of the franchises showed any interest in bringing Raina on board during the two-day event in Bengaluru last month. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan cricketing icon Kumar Sangakkara has explained the reason behind the senior middle-order batter finding no buyer.

As the years go by, players change: Kumar Sangakkara

“There are different ways to look at it. As the years go by, players change and reputations are also made new by younger players,” said Sangakkara as quoted by Zee News.

“In the case of Suresh Raina, his reputation is unbelievable in IPL cricket. He has been an absolute legend, one of the best and top-most performers season after season. When you go into granular detail, perhaps the player is not suited for that season. It takes nothing away from the player being one of the best ever, or the player being of absolute high quality and it is something that analysts, coaches, and owners look for,” he added.

Suresh Raina is the fourth-highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament, having amassed 5528 runs from 205 matches at an average of 32.52 and a strike rate of 136.73, including a century and 39 half-centuries.

Meanwhile, Sangakkara has been retained as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2022, starting March 26.  The team will be led by Kerala stumper Sanju Samson once again. RR did not have a memorable season last year as they finished at the seventh position. A new-look Rajasthan would be hoping to make amends after having rebuilt their squad this time around.