Raina Clears Air Over Speculations Over His Pull Out From IPL 2020; Refutes Reports Of Rift With Dhoni

Raina also hinted at the possibility of rejoining the CSK squad if the situation with regards to the Covid-19 scenario got better in Dubai. "I am a CSK player forever. If the situation gets better in Dubai, I may even return. The door is not closed on me," said the former Indian cricketer

Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina has finally broken his silence over why he left the CSK camp in United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 29 and returned back to India ahead of the thirteenth season of the Indian Premier League which will get underway from September 19. Amidst growing speculations of a likely rift with CSK skipper MS Dhoni and reportedly things not turning out well with team owner N Srinivasan, Raina put to rest all rumors floating around his sudden departure from UAE by stating that the alarming rise in the Covid-19 cases within the CSK camp was a major reason behind him taking a decision to head back to India and be with his family. Raina also hinted at the possibility of rejoining the CSK squad if the situation with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic gets better in Dubai. "I am a CSK player forever. If the situation gets better in Dubai, I may even return. The door is not closed on me," said the former Indian cricketer. "I've been training even while quarantining here. You never know you might see me in the CSK camp there again this year", added the experienced campaigner. Earlier on August 29, Raina, who cited 'personal reasons' behind him pulling out of the 13th edition of the IPL, flew back to India and made himself unavailable for this season of the cash rich T20 league. The seasoned CSK campaigner did not hold back his words and said that there is no issue between CSK and him. 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, said Raina. Raina also denied the rumours of a rift with CSK skipper and his long time team mate MS Dhoni, saying that the former Indian captain is like an "elder brother" to him. In an interview with Cribuzz, Raina has said that the cases of COVID-19 in CSK camp played a role in him coming back to India. "When the bio-bubble is not safe how does one take a chance? I have a family with two little kids and elderly parents. For me returning to the family was more important," "It was a tough decision. CSK is also like my family but when the face of my kids surfaced in Dubai and the COVID situation was not looking good, I decided to return." Raina also cleared the air on alleged misunderstanding between him and CSK team owner N Srinivasan by stating that he is like a father figure to me and 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. The Punjab Police on Tuesday (September 1) constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the gruesome attack on relatives of cricketer Suresh Raina. After pulling out from the thirteenth edition of the IPL citing personal reasons, Raina urged the Punjab Chief Minister Captain (Retd) Amarinder Singh and the state establishment to undertake a proper investigation into the barbaric attack by a notorious gang on his aunt’s family near Pathankot which left his uncle and cousin died. A horrific attack on cricketer Suresh Raina's family left his uncle Ashok Kumar dead on the spot while his son Kaushal succumbed to his injuries on Monday. Three other family members inflicted critical injuries, including Ashok Kumar's wife, Asha Rani, who is reported to be in critical condition.