IPL 2019: Suresh Raina likes controversial tweet hinting he became a victim of team politics

IPL 2019: Suresh Raina likes controversial tweet to hint he became a victim of team politics

New Delhi, May 13: Chennai Super Kings' suffered a disappointing 1-run defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad and failed to defend their IPL title in a nail-biting IPL 2019 final on Sunday (May 12).

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side was left frustrated as their batting once again proved to be a major let down in the big game. Chasing a sub-par 150, CSK batsmen could only manage to score 148 to lose the game by a narrow margin of one run.

IPL 2019 Special Site | Full list of award winners IPL 2019

Barring former Australia cricketer Shane Watson - who played a valiant knock of 59-ball 80 - no other CSK batsman rose to the occasion. Watson would be kicking himself for not getting Chennai over the line as he was dismissed in the final over with his team still needed four runs.

MS Dhoni was the only consistent scorer for the side but the skipper's run out at a crucial time in the all important final against Mumbai's quality bowling attack just proved too crucial for the defending champions.

Vital cog of CSK's wheel

Team's vice captain Suresh Raina who has been a vital cog in CSK's success over the years had an overall forgettable season. The southpaw didn't have an impactful season this year and him remaining out of form all through the season was a major reason why CSK's batting looked so weak.

Forgettable IPL 2019

Raina has been out of the Indian cricket squad for quite some time and his inconsistency with the bat could be attributed as the major reason for him going down in the pecking order. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer also lost the BCCI central contract this year which further hints that his chances of making it to the national side a bleak.

#SpiritOfCricket at #VIVOIPL 😎😎 pic.twitter.com/gWIY5NwEGL
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 10, 2019

Raina helps Pant, wins heart on social media

The CSK stalwart, during the Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam last week, was seen tying the shoelaces of Rishabh Pant when the latter was batting. The fans were moved with Raina's gesture as BCCI posted the video on IPL Twitter handle.

Thank you @ImRaina Suresh bhai for the like 😊, best wishes to you & @ChennaiIPL for the final 👍🙏#csk #CSKvsMI #IPL2019 pic.twitter.com/1Fs1Amw6BO
— Arnab (@arnpx) May 10, 2019

Raina kicks off debate

However, the veteran cricketer has kicked off a controversy after 'liking' a controversial tweet. One of Suresh Raina fans hailed the cricketer for his gesture and claimed that the southpaw deserves to be in the Indian national side but since he became a victim of team politics, the cricketer is out of the national reckoning. Raina liked this tweet and triggered a massive debate over social media.

Inconsistency cost Raina his place in Team India

Raina liking such a tweet hints that he too believes that he's a victim of dressing room politics. He used to be one of the best limited-overs cricketers in the last decade.

However, the southpaw hasn't been able to grab the opportunities recently. He struggled under English conditions during the limited-overs series last year and was dropped from the squad. In this year's IPL too he scored 375 runs from 16 games, which is far below from his standards.