Former CSK player Suresh Raina finally opened up about the controversy surrounding his sudden exit from the team during the IPL 2020. He revealed that the rumors circulating about him were untrue and clarified the reasons behind his decision to pull out of the tournament.
Suresh Raina Breaks His Silence On IPL 2020 Hotel Room Controversy With CSK
For the unversed, before IPL 2020 began, a major controversy erupted within the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team. CSK owner, N Srinivasan, reportedly claimed that Suresh Raina had requested a spacious room with a balcony in the hotel, similar to what was provided to captain MS Dhoni. Raina had traveled with the team to Dubai for IPL 2020 but returned home citing personal reasons.
Now after years of that incident, Raina has finally clarified that the reports about him demanding a special room were false. He revealed that he had to leave IPL 2020 because a family member passed away in Punjab, and that was the true reason for his departure.
“What happened to my family in Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my brother & both my cousins had severe injuries. Unfortunately, my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua is still very very critical & is on life support,” he had tweeted, also seeking the help of authorities to unmask the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
In a viral video online, Suresh Raina mentioned during an interaction that he informed both captain MS Dhoni and the team management about his choice to return to India due to his family’s loss.
Watch the video:
Remember how, Srinivasan deliberaly degraded Raina’s name by saying that he wanted a room with a balcony like MSD?
Suresh Raina opens up once again about that incident. Never Forget, Never Forgive.
Will never ever respect Srinivasan, a misogynistic money-whore. pic.twitter.com/JfgxwFCrHG
— Rᴀɪᴋᴀᴛ (@OverMidWicket) April 20, 2024
After the 2020 edition of the IPL, Suresh Raina continued with the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. He played a few matches but was later dropped from the team and was eventually released. Despite being a part of the team, he went unsold in the auction and did not receive a proper farewell from the IPL.
Raina addressed this situation, mentioning that although MS Dhoni is still playing, which is a positive thing, he harbors no sadness about how things unfolded for him in the IPL. Talking to Lallantop, the left-hander said:
“Wo khel rahe hai achi baat hai (MS Dhoni is playing, it’s good). He should play. Why will I be sad (Raina on getting released by CSK)?”
Suresh Raina was indeed one of the top batters in the IPL. He scored a total of 5528 runs in 205 matches throughout his IPL career. Raina had a significant stint with the Chennai Super Kings, playing 176 matches and scoring 4687 runs for them. He remains the highest run-scorer for CSK in the league. Additionally, Raina captained the Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016 and 2017 when CSK was serving a ban.
