Suresh Raina appointed captain of Gujarat Lions for IPL 2016

Left handed batsman Suresh Raina, who was appointed skipper of new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Gujarat Lions here on Tuesday, said it will be a challenge for them to stop Mahendra Singh Dhoni, especially when he plays his trademark helicopter shot. Intex Technologies owner Keshav Bansal, who had invested in the Rajkot franchise, had picked Raina as the first choice followed by Ravindra Jadeja in the IPL draft that was held in December past year.

Rajkot and Pune were the two new franchises to be formed after the Supreme Court banned Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years for their involvement in spot fixing and betting cases. We will have an extra edge going into the World T20.

It will be iteresting to see Raina and Dhoni playing against each other. They also have won Champion League T20 twice. Along with announcing the name, the team logo was unveiled featuring a roaring Lion in Golden, Yellow & hues of Red. Raina said irrespective of the strength of the opposition, India came out stronger from the series. “I look forward to playing with the likes of McCullum, Faulkner, Bravo and Jadeja in my team and I am positive that we will put up a great show”.

India limited overs captain Dhoni used to lead Raina and others in the suspended Chennai Super Kings. “The credit should be given to the captain and the support staff”, Raina said at the unveiling of Rajkot IPL team, Gujarat Lions. “I played eight seasons for CSK under the best captain in the game [MS Dhoni] and it will be somewhat different now, but we have a good foundation and if we play to potential we can do well in the IPL”.

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo a year ago, Hodge had said he was a “little bit of a pioneer” in Twenty20 cricket, having shaped the way Australian batsmen approached the shortest format.

“Batting up the order in T20 is important as it helps you plan and execute your targets”, Raina admitted.

“I have always played No. 3 in IPL”.