IPL teams have not shown interest in Raina, but his popularity around the world remains. The government of Maldives has honored Raina with the prestigious 'Sports Icon' award under the Maldives Sports Awards 2022. Raina was nominated for the award along with 16 other international players, including former Real Madrid footballer Roberto Carlos, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell and former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya.
Suresh Raina shares on Twitter
Sharing the information on Twitter, Suresh Raina wrote, "Thank you for the honour Honourable @ibusolih and Mr @AhmedMahloof. The feeling of representing India ???????? on a global platform among all the world champions is unmatchable. Congratulations on organising such an exclusive award ceremony. Way to go ???? #MaldivesSportsAwards2022."
Team India's former cricketer Suresh Raina has not been bought by any team in this year's IPL auction 2022. Raina has been a member of the Chennai Super Kings team since the first season of IPL. He is one of the highest run scorer in the tournament. Raina, popularly known as 'Mr. IPL', was not retained by CSK before the auction.
Maldives Sports Awards 2022 event
The event was hosted by President of Maldives His Excellency Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Sports Ministers, world renowned athletes and Maldivian athletes. As per a report by the Times of India, the event was spearheaded by the minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof. The Maldives Sports Awards 2022 was aimed to restructure the historical awards ceremony as a national endeavour.