Suresh Raina picks his all-time CSK XI, names Sri Lankan legend as Impact Player

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Suresh Raina has picked his all-time playing XI for the franchise during a recent podcast released on Friday, August 29. The cricketer-turned-commentator followed the rules, picking four overseas players – Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Albie Morkel, and Doug Bollinger – in his CSK playing XI. The 38-year-old further picked Sri Lanka’s spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan as an impact player.

Raina further lauded unsung hero Shadab Jakati for his exploits with the ball for the Super Kings in the IPL.

Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel, Raina said:

“44:15 (Raina all-time CSK XI) – Murali Vijay, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, L Balaji, Mohit Sharma. If you want an impact player, then I would keep Muralitharan Sir.”

“45:45 – I think the X-factor Shadab Jakati was; he didn’t get the recognition. He performed very well when we won in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Whatever we qualified, he did exceptionally well,” he added.

Notably, Shadab Jakati played for CSK from 2009 to 2012. The left-arm spinner picked up 45 wickets in 50 matches at an economy rate of 7.75. He won back-to-back IPL titles with the Chennai-based franchise in 2010 and 2011.

Meanwhile, it’s worth mentioning that Raina played for CSK from 2008 to 2015. He then led the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The left-handed batter then represented the Super Kings once again from 2018 to 2021. Notably, CSK were banned from IPL from 2016 to 2017.

With the bat, Raina amassed 5,528 runs in 205 IPL games at a strike rate of 136.73, including one ton and 39 half-centuries. The off-spinner also bagged 25 wickets at an economy rate of 7.38.

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“Even the umpires used to tremble” – CSK legend sheds light on MS Dhoni’s aura with the bat

Suresh Raina further lauded MS Dhoni for his carnage with the bat, saying he used to frighten bowlers and umpires owing to his hard-hitting ability. While lauding the 44-year-old for his all-around skills, the former Indian cricketer said in the same interaction:

“46:54 – (MS Dhoni, the batsman, the wicketkeeper, or the captain) – No, it’s all three because his impact as a keeper, the way he sees the game from behind, and as a batter, I have batted a lot with him. The way he has hit sixes, I’ve seen bowlers shaking from the non-strikers' end that they don’t get hit. Even the umpires used to tremble."

"Even I used to bend. He and Yuvraj Singh have hit the sixes that if you get at the non-striker’s end, then you get out of the match,” he added.

Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni together won the 2011 ODI World Cup. They also lifted the 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021 IPL titles together at the Chennai-based franchise.