Former Team India cricketer Suresh Raina has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday. As per a report in Dainik Jagran, Raina has spoken to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) about his decision to retire from the IPL as well. In fact, Raina has already taken an NOC from UPCA, having decided not to play domestic cricket for his state anymore.
”I wish to play cricket for around 2-3 years more. A lot of good players are there in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) domestic team now and doing really well. I have been obtained NOC from UPCA as well. I have even informed BCCI secretary Jay Shah and Rajiv Shukla about my decision. I want to thank BCCI and UPCA for supporting me in my career. I am looking forward to play in different leagues around the world. I will feature in the Road Safety world series which starts on 10th September. Franchises from South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE have approached me till now. Once the situation gets cleared, i will inform everyone myself,” Raina told the newspaper. Though Raina has already retired from international cricket, as per the BCCI's rules, he still isn't eligible to play an overseas T20 league. In order to play in private leagues outside the country, he has to retire from the IPL too. One of the most successful players in the IPL, Raina has amassed 5,528 runs from 205 matches. The former CSK star registered 39 half-centuries in the cash-rich league. With the highest score of 100*, Raina averaged 32.52 and batted at a strike rate of 136.76 in the celebrated tournament.
