Harbhajan picks 35-year-old star going unsold as ‘sad sight of IPL’
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Saturday reflected back on Day 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, which saw veteran batter Suresh Raina going unsold.
Sharing his thoughts on the same, Harbhajan felt it “was a sad sight of the IPL”. Raina, who had a base price of INR 2 crore, was part of the second set of players from the auction pool.
Speaking to India Today at the end of the first day of the mega event, Harbhajan felt that while pacer Umesh Yadav, who also went unsold, will find a bidder on Sunday, Raina, who has retired from international cricket, may not find one on Day 2.
“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.”
“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 said.
Raina played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 11 of their 12 IPL seasons. He was part of the Gujarat Lions for two seasons when CSK were suspended from the tournament in 2016 and 2017.
The former India cricketer is one of IPL’s most successful batters and stands among the highest run-getters.
Raina’s former India teammate Harbhajan also opined that even if CSK do pick his name in the accelerated auction and place their bid, it won’t be the same as Raina went unsold the first time.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
74 players were sold on Day 1 of the auction after 97 players went under the hammer in Bengaluru. Ishan Kishan emerged as the most expensive player with INR 15.25 crore while Avesh Khan became the highest paid uncapped player in the history of the tournament.