For over a decade now, Suresh Raina has been the backbone of his side’s batting line up in the high profile Indian Premier League. He has carved a niche for himself with his relentless consistency and his ability to rake in the runs in every edition of the marquee T20 tournament.
While the pugnacious power of Chris Gayle and the ethereal splendor of Virat Kohli send the crowd into raptures, this man has not got the credit that he deserves.
Yet, he has gone about his business in a serene manner, and piled on the runs.
Suresh Raina: The Consistent Performer
Suresh Raina has been the most consistent performer in IPL history, and is one of the two batsmen to have scored more than 5000 runs in the league (the other being Virat Kohli).
The left hander is also the only batsman to have scored more than 400 runs in 9 out of the 12 editions of the league, and will go down as the greatest batsman in IPL history.
In the table below, let us have a look at the comparison between two of the highest run scorers in the league’s history, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli.
At the time of writing, Kohli leads Raina by a slender margin of 44 runs. But then, let us delve deep and look at the performances of these two batting gladiators.
Virat Kohli And Suresh Raina: A Comparison
| Season | Runs | Average | 100’s | 50’s |
| 2008 | 165 | 15.00 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 246 | 22.36 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | 307 | 27.91 | 0 | 1 |
| 2011 | 557 | 46.42 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012 | 364 | 28.00 | 0 | 2 |
| 2013 | 634 | 45.29 | 0 | 6 |
| 2014 | 359 | 27.62 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | 505 | 45.91 | 0 | 3 |
| 2016 | 973 | 81.08 | 4 | 7 |
| 2017 | 308 | 30.80 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | 530 | 48.18 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | 464 | 33.14 | 1 | 2 |
From the table, we can see that while Virat Kohli had an astounding run in the 2016 edition of the IPL, scored a stunning 4 hundreds and averaged a gargantuan 81.08 during that edition, he also had a poor run in the 2008 edition, scoring just 165 runs at a meager average of 15.00.
Also, out of the 12 editions that he has played in the IPL, the RCB skipper has crossed the 400 run mark only 6 times.
Now, let us move to Suresh Raina.
| Season | Runs | Average | 100’s | 50’s |
| 2008 | 421 | 38.27 | 0 | 3 |
| 2009 | 424 | 31.00 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 | 520 | 47.27 | 0 | 4 |
| 2011 | 438 | 31.29 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012 | 441 | 25.94 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | 548 | 42.15 | 1 | 4 |
| 2014 | 523 | 40.23 | 0 | 5 |
| 2015 | 374 | 24.93 | 0 | 2 |
| 2016 | 399 | 28.50 | 0 | 3 |
| 2017 | 442 | 40.18 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | 445 | 37.08 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | 383 | 23.94 | 0 | 3 |
On the other hand, Raina has crossed the 400 run mark in nine out of the 12 editions, and his lowest tally in a tournament has been 374. Also, he has scored a fifty in each of the 12 editions that he has played, and his average has never gone below 23.00 in any of the editions.
Raina has been the backbone of the CSK side, and has acted as the fulcrum around whom the other batsmen have revolved. He can seamlessly switch gears when the need arises, switch between caution and aggression and is one of the best runners between the wickets as well.
A Comparison Of Top 5
| Player | Runs | 100’s | 50’s | 400+ in an edition |
| Virat Kohli | 5412 | 5 | 36 | 6 |
| Suresh Raina | 5368 | 1 | 38 | 9 |
| Rohit Sharma | 4898 | 1 | 36 | 7 |
| David Warner | 4706 | 4 | 44 | 6 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 4579 | 0 | 37 | 6 |
From the table, we can see that in the Top 5 highest run scorers in IPL history, Raina is neither the highest century maker nor does he have the most number of fifties. Yet, he figures second in the list due to his sheer consistency in almost each and every season of the IPL.
Due to his consistency, the left hander has carved a niche for himself and can legitimately stake claim to being the greatest batsman in IPL history, Raina is only 33 years old, and is not done yet.
He will continue to mesmerize us with his unparalleled consistency with the willow and he will continue to remain a pivotal cog of the CSK outfit in the years to come.
Follow us on facebook for more sports news & updates