IPL Playoffs and the curious case of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina

In all, MS Dhoni and Raina have played 129 matches together in the IPL.

Published - 14 May 2017, 20:49 IST | Updated - 14 May 2017, 20:49 IST

View : 3.6K

2 Min Read

The four teams for the playoffs of the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League have been finalized. The Rising Pune Supergiant are all set to lock horns with the Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1 of the tournament. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad will battle it out against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator. The big stars will be on display and one among them is former RPS skipper MS Dhoni.

The previous edition of the tournament was the first instance when Dhoni was not a part of the playoffs. His team, Rising Pune Supergiant, had finished in the penultimate position in IPL 2016. This year, Dhoni is back to where he belongs – the big stage of the playoffs. Interestingly, this time around, his good friend Suresh Raina will not be a part of the playoffs.

Over the years, Suresh Raina had featured in all the playoffs in the first 9 seasons of the tournament. However, this year, his team Gujarat Lions will not be a part of the tournament playoffs as they have failed to make it to the top four. Well, in the first 8 editions of the tournament, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were a part of the Chennai Superkings roster.

The duo were the most popular faces of the team and had formed a formidable partnership for the men in yellow. In all, MS Dhoni and Raina have played 129 matches together in the IPL. They have also played together in 187 ODIs, 62 T20Is, and 17 Tests. They certainly enjoy playing in each other’s company.

Ever since the tournament saw CSK being suspended, the camaraderie has seen a split and the audiences now hope for the two to come back sometime soon together.

Last year Raina played play off first time without Dhoni..
This year Dhoni will play the play off first time without Raina..
— Sarcastic Dude (@Sarcasticdudee) May 14, 2017