Suresh Raina has broken his silence over his unexpected pullout from the IPL, saying he returned to India for his family and he might even fly back to Dubai to rejoin the Chennai Super Kings for the tournament beginning September 19.
Raina, who announced his international retirement alongside M S Dhoni on August 15, also rubbished reports claiming a rift between him and his longtime franchise.
The contingent recorded 13 Covid-19 cases, including two players, and Raina’s pullout was attributed to that.
“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,” Raina told Cricbuzz.
“There is no issue between CSK and me. 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,” he said.
He also dropped a hint on rejoining the team in Dubai when asked about his future with CSK.
“I’ve been training even while quarantining here. You never know you might see me in the camp there again,” said the southpaw.
Team owner N Srinivasan was not happy when he first got to know about Raina’s withdrawal from the tournament. The batsman said the former BCCI president is like a “father figure” to him and has every right to snap at him.
“..He’s always stood by me and is close to my heart. He treats me like his younger son and am sure a lot of what he said was taken out of context. Ek baap apne bacche ko daant sakta hai(A father can scold his son).
“He didn’t know the real reasons for me leaving when he gave those comments. Now he’s been informed about them and he even sent me a message thereafter. We’ve chatted about it and both CSK and I just want to get over with it,” said Raina.