Suresh Raina is an IPL legend, and his achievements speak for him. The left-hander has scored 5528 runs in the Indian Premier League with the help of 39 half-centuries and a maiden hundred. Southpaw has also been part of the Chennai team in their 4 IPL winning campaigns.
In his IPL career, Raina has played dozens of superb knocks for CSK. But some of them were quite stupendous, and those will be remembered for a very long time. Keep reading to find out about his 5 best batting performances in the IPL, along with the best innings of Suresh Raina in the IPL.
5. 98 of 55 Against Rajasthan Royals (2009)
The leftie almost brought his first IPL hundred in the second edition but just fell two short of it. Against the defending champions of the Indian Premier League, CSK lost their openers in no time. Now it was Raina’s responsibility to steady the ship.
He took calculated risks to get his side out of trouble. With the help of ten fours and five sixes, Raina raced to 98 runs in just 55 balls. He fell just two runs short of a scintillating hundred. The rest of the batters could score just 66 runs in 65 deliveries, while Raina was striking at 178. His spirited knock resulted in a comfortable 38 runs victory for the Super Kings.
4. 100* of 53 Against Kings XI Punjab (2013)
Scoring a ton in T20 cricket is always a massive achievement. Suresh Raina was the first Indian to score a hundred in all three formats, but he was yet to get that honor in the IPL before finally smashing his maiden IPL ton in 2013.
Chennai were struggling against KXIP at 27 for 1 in the fifth over. Then, Raina arrived at the crease to change the complexion of the game. On a pitch where other batters were struggling to score run a ball, he was smashing bowlers for fun.
Raina’s 100 came in just 53 deliveries as his side reached 186 in 20 overs. His glittery knock included seven fours and six maximums. His sensational knock helped his side secure a 15-run victory.
3. 73* of 50 Against Royal Challengers Bangalore In the First Qualifier (2011)
Chennai were up against a strong RCB side in the first qualifier game of the season. On the back of Kohli’s 44-ball 70, RCB set a challenging total of 176. CSK were soon found reeling at 7 for 2 in the second over. Raina, who came in at the one-down position, played the rescue act once again for the Super Kings.
Raina stitched two crucial partnerships for the fourth and the fifth wicket to set up an exciting finish. It was a remarkable innings of Suresh Raina’s IPL History. Albie Morkel played a blinder (28* off 10) to see CSK through. But, the hero of the night was surely Suresh Raina, who remained unbeaten on 73.
His splendid effort with the bat saw his team play the final of the IPL 2011 and eventually become the champions.
2. 87 of 25 Against Kings XI Punjab In Qualifier 2 (2014)
CSK faced KXIP in a bid to qualify for the final of the Indian Premier League 2014 edition. Batting first, Kings XI set a massive target of 227 for the Super Kings. The chase didn’t start well, and both the openers returned to the pavilion. However, Raina was in no mood to hang around as he went on to play one of the all-time great IPL knocks in Suresh Raina’s IPL history.
Walking out to bat at #3, he took the attack to the Punjab bowlers and brought up his 50 in just 16 balls. Chennai were suddenly looking ahead in the game, and a tall chase no more looked like a daunting task. Raina was smashing the ball to all corners of the ground, and Parwinder Awana came on his radar.
In his one over, Suresh thumped two fours and four gigantic sixes. This 32-run over took CSK past the 100-run mark in 6 overs. Unfortunately, this extraordinary knock ended with a runout, and the rest of the batting couldn’t perform under pressure. Consequently, they lost the game by 24 runs, but Raina’s magnificent show with the bat conquered the heart of cricket fans.
1. 57* of 35 Against Mumbai Indians In the Final (2010)
“Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” Raina has always been hailed as a big-match player for India as well as CSK. He, indeed, was a performer on the big stage, and there’s no better match than a final to prove this. Chennai and Mumbai locked horns in the summit clash on a tricky wicket.
After opting to bat, Super Kings were soon in a spot to bother after losing their openers early. Raina combined with Dhoni for the third wicket to drive the team out of trouble. The partnership between them was of 62 runs, and it came in less than 6 overs.
Raina batted till the end of the innings to help CSK post a strong total of 168. His dominating knock of 55* runs included three boundaries and as many maximums. In response, MI could only get 146 runs, and CSK emerged as the victorious side. Suresh Raina’s IPL history splendid knock helped Chennai to get to the title, and it was certainly the best innings of Suresh Raina in the IPL.
