Mumbai, March 20 -- Ahead of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from Saturday, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina hailed the league for its impact on the talent pipeline of Indian cricket and named some of his favourite modern day stars in the league.

The latest IPL season will kickstart with a highly-anticipated contest between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on Saturday. Raina is considered as one of the finest players in the league's history, with 5,528 runs in 205 matches with a century and 39 fifties, making him the fifth-highest run-getter in the competition. He is a multi-time IPL champion with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Speaking on J...