Suresh Raina to return to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026: MS Dhoni's ex-teammate drops massive hint during CSK vs GT
A CSK faithful from the start in 2008, Suresh Raina was a pillar for Chennai Super Kings until 2021. In all, Raina scored 5,528 runs in IPL, with one hundred and 39 fifties. Raina, with 4,867 runs, ranks second in the list of most runs for CSK in IPL. Dhoni leads the list with 4,865 runs.
Suresh Raina dropped a massive hint at joining five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the stalwarts at CSK, Raina, played an important role in the franchise's first four IPL titles. However, he wasn't a part of the CSK squad that won the trophy in 2023, beating Gujarat Titans (GT).
Sitting alongside former India cricketers Sanjay Bangar and Aakash Chopra in the commentary box during CSK's last IPL 2025 against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, Raina was having a chat on how the season went for MS Dhoni's men. CSK won this game against GT by 83 runs.
During the chat, Raina revealed that talks were on to hire a batting coach for CSK in IPL 2026. Trying to extract more information from Raina, Chopra asked if the new batting coach's initials start with ‘S’.
In response, Raina replied, “he has made the fastest fifty (laughs).” Former Australian cricketer Mike Hussey is currently the batting coach of CSK. Hussey has also played for CSK in the past. For those unaware, Raina had scored a 16-ball fifty against Punjab Kings in 2014, which ranked second in the list of fastest fifties that year.
Suresh Raina's records at CSK
A CSK faithful from the start in 2008, Raina was a pillar for the Chennai-based franchise. He played for Gujarat Lions for two seasons, when CSK were suspended for two seasons (2016 and 2017) due to the association of their owners with illegal betting.
His last season in the IPL came in 2021. In all, Raina scored 5,528 runs in IPL, with one hundred and 39 fifties. Raina (4,867) also ranks second in the list of most runs for CSK in IPL. Dhoni leads the list with 4,865 runs.
CSK in IPL 2025
CSK had a nightmarish IPL 2025, with just four wins in 14 games. This is also the first time that CSK finished last in the points table in 18 seasons. Having given up on CSK captaincy after 2023, Dhoni was reappointed as the skipper following the injury of Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, the return of the five-time IPL-winning captain's reappointment as skipper did not help CSK.
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