'I am Suresh Raina, not Afridi': Mr. IPL takes dig at Shahid Afridi | WATCH

Former Team India batter Suresh Raina is currently playing for the Indian Maharajas in the ongoing Legends League Cricket (Masters) tournament in Doha, Qatar. Raina played well in the match against the World Giants and played a knock of 49 but was not able to steer his team to victory as the Maharajas lost the match by three wickets.

After the match, the former Indian batsman attended a press conference where he spoke at length about various things. While speaking about his and his team's performance Raina was asked whether he will make a return to professional cricket or not. 

Raina said: 'I'm Suresh Raina, not Shahid Afridi!'

Question - everyone wants you back in the IPL after your performance tonight in Legends League Cricket.

Suresh Raina - I'm Suresh Raina, not Shahid Afridi. I've taken retirement (laughs).🤣🤣🤣 #INDvsAUS #IUvPZ #LegendsLeagueCricketpic.twitter.com/fTZGXZfkWu

— TROLL PAKISTAN CRICKET (@TrollPakistanii) March 16, 2023

Suresh Raina came up with a savage reply to the question. Raina said, “I'm Suresh Raina, not Shahid Afridi! I've taken the retirement." The statement by the former Indian left-hander left all the other reporters present in the press conference into splits. 

Talking further about the Indian Maharajas, they recently faced World Giants in their recent group match but were not able to win and lost by three wickets. Chris Gayle was the star for the Giants as he made a 46-ball 57. The Giants captain Aaron Finch also contributed with a knock of 26 off 16 deliveries and his team chased down the target of 135 with eight balls left.

For the Indian Maharajas, Yusuf Pathan took two wickets, while Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Dinda, Pravin Tambe, and Suresh Raina managed to scalp one wicket each. The World Giants were absolutely spectacular with the ball as they bundled out the Indian Maharajas for 136/9 with Brett Lee taking three wickets as the standout bowler. Suresh Raina scored 41 runs for his team.

Suresh Raina retired from international cricket along with MS Dhoni on August 15, 2020. The southpaw represented the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League for two more seasons before he was released by the franchise. The former cricketer didn't find any buyers in the IPL 2022 and then he retired from all forms of cricket in September 2022. 

Coming back to the Legends League Cricket (Masters), former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is also a part of the competition and captains the Asia Lions. On Thursday, the Lions and Giants will play in the league's final group match. The second-placed team and India Maharajas will then play for a spot in the tournament's March 20 championship.