Suresh Raina picks all-time CSK XI; Leaves out Ruturaj Gaikwad

Suresh Raina picked Muttiah Muralitharan as an Impact Player.

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina, fondly known as “Chinna Thala,” by the franchise’s fans, has picked his all-time CSK XI. Interestingly, Raina did not pick the current CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in his team. He also overlooked all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

Raina revealed his all-time CSK XI during a conversation with Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel. Raina chose Murali Vijay and Matthew Hayden as two openers of his team. Vijay scored 1708 runs in 70 IPL matches for CSK. Hayden was the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2009.

At No. 3, Raina went ahead with Michael Hussey. He has been working as CSK’s batting coach since 2018. In the middle-order, he chose himself and Subramaniam Badrinath. He picked Albie Morkel as one of the all-rounders in his team.

In the fast bowling department, Raina picked names like Doug Bollinger, L Balaji, and Mohit Sharma. Shadab Jakati, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are the three spin-bowlers in Raina’s team.

Raina then named MS Dhoni as wicket-keeper and captain of his all-time CSK XI. Notably, Raina named 13 CSK players in his list, where he named Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan as an Impact Player.

Suresh Raina’s all-time CSK XI

Murali Vijay, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, L Balaji, Mohit Sharma, Muttiah Muralitharan (Impact Player).

Meanwhile, Raina represented the Men in Yellow from 2008 to 2015. He was then part of the now-defunct Gujarat Lions for two seasons in 2016 and 2017, when CSK were suspended from the tournament. He rejoined CSK in IPL 2018 and played for the side till his last season in IPL 2021.

Talking about the franchise, they are the joint-most successful team in the history of the IPL with five titles to their name. They won the title in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023 seasons. In 2025, they finished at the last spot in points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

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