Three time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings campaign in the IPL hit a roadblock after several members tested positive for COVID-19 after their arrival in UAE. Add to that the sudden exit of their vice-captain Suresh Raina added to their woes. Ever since Raina decided to withdraw from the tournament the reason of his exit has been hitting the headlines. Now in his latest interview to cricbuzz the former World Cup winner spilled the beans on his exit. “It was a personal decision and I had to come back for my family. There was something that needed to be addressed immediately on the home front,”“CSK is my family too and Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) is very important to me and this was a tough decision. There is no issue between CSK and me,” Raina added.
Raina, who has represented CSK in all 10 seasons the franchise has been a part of the IPL, said he is looking forward to playing IPL for the next four-five years. Continuing further he added, “Nobody will just turn their back on Rs 12.5 crore and walk away without a solid reason. I might have retired from international cricket but I’m still young and I am looking forward to playing for them in the IPL for the next 4-5 years,” “I have a young family back home and I was concerned about the fact that if something happened to me,” Raina said. “My family is most important to me and I am really concerned for them during these times. I haven’t seen my kids for more than 20 days, even after coming back, since I am in quarantine.”
Raina had tweeted seeking help from the government and police after his close relatives were attacked in Pathankot.“The Pathankot incident was horrible and has really been very disturbing for everyone in our family. And it was my responsibility to come back and take care of them. But since I’ve returned, I’ve been in quarantine here. So, I still have to go meet my parents and my bua who are all in great distress,” the 33-year-old added. The team management and BCCI are doing a very commendable job keeping everyone safe. This has never been done before and it’s new for everyone. It’s a highly secure environment and no one without access can move anywhere. We were all inside our rooms with no human interaction and there was a test every 2 days,” Raina said. The cash rich league is slated to commence on 18th September with final to be played on November 10. The left-handed batsman has been the most successful batsman for Chennai Super Kings as he has scored 5,368 runs from 193 matches for the franchise at an average of 33.34.
