Raina to skipper new IPL team Gujarat Lions

Explosive batsman Suresh Raina was on Tuesday named the captain of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Gujarat Lions that will play in the ninth edition of the Twenty20 cricket tournament this summer.

Former Australia batsman Brad Hodge has been named coach of the Rajkot-based outfit which also has former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, Ravindra Jadeja, Australian James Faulkner and West Indian Dwayne Bravo.

Arvinder Singh will be the chief executive officer of the team which is owned by Keshav Bansal, director of Intex Technologies.

"I am honoured to have been chosen for this role. We already have some of the best cricketing talent in the team and I look forward to the challenges, the opportunity, the excitement, the energy and will lead from the front to ensure we have a great debut," said Raina, who played for Chennai Super Kings in the past before the outfit was suspended for two years.