Suresh Raina’s participation in the Indian Super League 2020 cannot be fully ruled out.
Two days after SportzFront has reported that Suresh Raina has reached out to the Chennai Super Kings management after returning home, the veteran cricketer has confirmed that he may still return to Dubai for the Indian Premier League 2020.
“I am a CSK player forever. If the situation gets better in Dubai, I may even return. The door is not closed on me,” Raina reportedly said.
Earlier, CSK super boss N Srinivasan has also given a hint that an integral part of the Yellow Lions, Raina is always welcome.
Raina also laid to rest all speculation about his sudden departure from the UAE after 13 members of the Chennai Super Kings contingent, including cricketers Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaekwad, had tested positive for COVID-19 infection.
Raina said he was “scared” after the novel coronavirus positive reports in the CSK camp. In his first interaction with any media person ever since returning from Dubai late last month, Raina told Outlook, “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”.
The southpaw dismissed the rumours that he was asked to leave by the team management. “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,” the CSK all-rounder said.
He also played down the news about the news of a tiff with skipper MS Dhoni. “Mahi bhai is like my elder brother. These are all fabricated stories,” Raina told the publication.
Raina has been quarantined at his Ghaziabad house on his return from UAE. He was willing to take his parents to Pathankot where his uncle was killed in the wee hours of August 20.
“I will have no answer if something happens to my family. I am strong and physically fit to keep playing competitive cricket but right now, my kids and parents are the priority,” said Raina.
“I am dying to meet my kids. Money can’t buy me the happiness of seeing them,” said Raina, who is stand to miss ₹ 11 crores if he did not turn up for the CSK in the IPL 2020.