Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said that it’s a sad part of the IPL auction when the likes of Suresh Raina and Umesh Yadav who served Indian cricket for so long, go unsold.
Harbhajan Singh was reflecting on the first day of the mega auction. On Saturday, a total of 97 players went under the hammer but 23 of them didn’t find any buyers. India’s emerging wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan was the most expensive player of the day with a whopping price of 15.25 Crores as he went back to Mumbai Indians.
“CSK might buy Suresh Raina in the second round”- Harbhajan Singh
Speaking to India Today, Harbhajan Singh opined that even if Raina gets a bid on Sunday on the second round, it won’t be the same.
“It is very strange sort of thing for me to see someone like Umesh Yadav, who has been playing cricket for so many years and been a consistent member of the Indian cricket team. It’s sad that someone did not pick their name at the auction,” Harbhajan Singh said.
“For me, it was a sad sort of moment of the auction. But I feel he will have a chance tomorrow. Some team will go for him. But not too sure for Raina as he hardly plays any cricket,” he added.
In his IPL career, Raina scored 5528 runs with a strike rate of 136.73 which included one hundred and 39 fifties. He represented CSK in 11 of the 12 seasons. In the first 7 seasons, he scored 400+ runs in each of those. In the 2016 and 2017 seasons when CSK was suspended, he led Gujarat Lions.
“Of course, he has been a very consistent member of the Chennai Super Kings and known as Mr. IPL. It is so sad when you see Umesh and Raina not getting a bid. Maybe CSK might buy him tomorrow but it will not be the same thing as you want to get picked in the first round itself. It was a sad sight of the IPL. This is how you reflect on time,” Harbhajan Singh stated.
“When Raina was at his best he wasn’t just CSK’s top pick but all the other teams as well. 13-14 years later there are many other players now and Raina might find it difficult to make the squad as well,” he added.
On other side, Umesh Yadav picked 119 wickets in 121 IPL games with an economy of 8.51. The last time he played an IPL game, was in the 2020 season.
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