Kanpur: Former Indian batsman Suresh Raina, who had announced his international retirement in August 15 just after Mahendra Singh Dhoni this year, is set to return to competitive cricket, as per reports.
Earlier, Raina was set up to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) but the CSK star had to withdraw before the beginning of the tournament and fly back to India on August 29 due to personal reasons.
Raina’s absenteeism harmed CSK as they struggled to find a solid middle-order batsman throughout the edition, and it was the first time that MS Dhoni-led franchise had failed to make way through to the playoffs. CSK finished in 7th position in IPL 2020.
But now, Raina is set to return to competitive cricket. A report from Dainik Jagran suggested that Raina will be playing in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament for Uttar Pradesh. It also confirmed that he will be participating in IPL 2021.
Raina told Dainik Jagran, “I want to give Uttar Pradesh another title and will work hard for it. After this, my focus will be on IPL to be held next year.”
The report also added, that Raina will be reaching Kanpur on Saturday (December 12) where he will be attending the Uttar Pradesh cricket camp. Reportedly, he will also be playing in the practice matches on December 13 and December 15. The left-hander had guided Uttar Pradesh to the title in the 2015-16 campaign.
BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled to take place on December 24. After that, it could be expected that an announcement from the board regarding the schedule of the domestic season will be done.
