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When Suresh Raina captained MS Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings in 2012

By Sooryanarayanan Sesha Modified 06 Sep 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Thala played under 'Chinna Thala' when CSK clashed with Yorkshire in the CLT20 in 2012 (Picture Credits: IPL) Suresh Raina announced his decision to retire from all formats of cricket earlier today, September 6. The 35-year old left-handed batter retired from international cricket on the same day as MS Dhoni in 2020. With his announcement today though, the Uttar Pradesh player will no longer turn out in the IPL either. Raina was one of the stalwarts of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since its foundation year in 2008. When the franchise was suspended for two seasons, he led the now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016 and 2017. Fondly called 'Chinna Thala' by the fans, the southpaw was a lynchpin at No. 3 while acting as Dhoni's deputy for the four-time champions. His stellar IPL career saw him turn out on 205 instances for both CSK and GL, compiling 5528 runs at an average of 32.52 and a strike-rate of 136.73. Sportskeeda@SportskeedaWhat a stellar career Mr. IPL has had!
We wish Chinna Thala all the best for his next innings!
@ImRaina #retirement #mripl #chinnathala #chennaisuperkings163What a stellar career Mr. IPL has had!We wish Chinna Thala all the best for his next innings!@ImRaina #retirement #mripl #chinnathala #chennaisuperkings https://t.co/5WPD4n2pKp Raina also captained CSK in 5 IPL games in Dhoni's absence. However, did you know he also led the team once with 'Thala' himself featuring in the playing XI?

Suresh Raina captained MS Dhoni in a CLT20 game between CSK and Yorkshire

The fourth edition of the now-defunct Champions League T20 in 2012 saw CSK eliminated from the race for the semifinals after losses to the Sydney Sixers and the Highveld Lions. They salvaged a win against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) but it was all but a consolation. Chennai Super Kings@ChennaiIPLMahi will take a break and will play as a keeper-batsman (and bowler if possible). Raina will lead the team tonight. #whistlepodu516Mahi will take a break and will play as a keeper-batsman (and bowler if possible). Raina will lead the team tonight. #whistlepodu Their last group game was against Yorkshire in Durban and for a change, Dhoni decided to take a break from both his captaincy and wicket-keeping duties. He handed over the reins of the side to Chinna Thala while Wriddhiman Saha donned the keeper's gloves. The Super Kings elected to bowl first and put in a fine display with Albie Morkel and Doug Bollinger leading the way with metronomic spells. There was a pleasant surprise in store for the viewers when Dhoni rolled his arm over. It wasn't a tidy display by any stretch though as 'Thala' was thumped for 25 runs off his two overs. Despite that, CSK had to chase just 141. The job was done without much difficulty as Subramaniam Badrinath's 47, coupled with Dhoni and Raina scoring 31 apiece, ensured that they got home with an over to spare. What stood out in this contest, though, was how Raina held his own as captain. Not once did it seem that he wasn't the one calling the shots and he looked very certain with his bowling changes and field placements. With 'Captain Cool' patrolling the boundary ropes, Harsha Bhogle and Daren Ganga on air were of the opinion that it allowed Raina to showcase his abilities as the captain of the ship from the inner circle. 'Chinna Thala' certainly came up trumps in that regard and looked all at ease in executing his role. Of course, he never got the opportunity to lead CSK on a full-time basis in the years to come. He did lead GL to the playoffs of IPL 2016, though, after they finished the league phase at the top of the points table. Mr. IPL has certainly given many memorable moments on the park over the years, be it with the bat or with his electrifying fielding. Here's wishing him the very best in his future endeavors - you did well, Chinna Thala! Also read: Looking back at Suresh Raina's last match in all formats of cricket Get the Latest updates & News on T20 World Cup & Follow us for Live Scores, Schedule, and Squads Poll : Is Suresh Raina the greatest player to have played the IPL? Yes No 36 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Samya Majumdar × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeScheduleT20 World CupT20 warm upIND vs SAENG vs PAKAUS vs ENGLegends LeagueECS T10 CroatiaWBBL 2022ECC T10SMAT 2022Bukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022ECT10 FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Crown Jewel 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxFree PicksSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी