India limited-overs specialist Suresh Raina will captain the new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise in Rajkot, the team announced on Tuesday, while confirming Australian Brad Hodge as the side’s coach.
We (him and Dhoni) have played together enough including a few finals and I know how to stop him. Imagine Dhoni getting out to Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) and (Dwayne) Bravo dancing.Suresh Raina
Pune and Rajkot were unveiled as the new teams in the lucrative Twenty20 competition in December, replacing Chennai and Rajasthan, who were handed two-year suspensions for their involvement in an illegal betting scandal.
“Suresh Raina is a remarkable player with an impeccable record in all formats of the game,” franchise owner Keshav Bansal said in a statement, announcing the team would be called the Gujarat Lions.
“His extensive experience combined with his great leadership skills will help us in putting together a winning strategy for the team.”
While CSK will not be a part for the next two years, Raina feels the former BCCI president N Srinivasan’s franchise made him a “better cricketer”.
“It would be emotional moment for me as I would play for a different team this year. In the last eight years, I have never missed an IPL game and the stint with CSK has made me a matured cricketer. But Gujarat never had an IPL team before and I would like everyone to come to Rajkot and support us.”
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