All talk about Suresh Raina’s career with Chennai Super Kings being over is mere speculation. The possibility of the CSK vice-captain returning to the UAE for the Indian Premier League 2020 cannot be fully ruled out.
Raina, who returned from the UAE on Saturday for “personal reasons”, has already reached out to the CSK management after returning home. It will be pre-matured to mention whether he discussed the possibility of joining the team again in the UAE. But it cannot be fully ruled out either.
A senior official in the know of the things has confirmed that Raina has reached out to the CSK management. The official though did not elaborate on what was discussed between the veteran cricketer and the team management.
“The talks were cordial as Raina had returned home with the team management’s consent. It is true that he was not comfortable with the confinement to his hotel room for most of the time for one week. The thought of spending two weeks in the confines of his hotel room had triggered a panic attack. That led to his sudden decision to return home,” said the official.
Amidst talks of Raina’s innings with the Yellow Lions being over, the CSK boss N Srinivasan has told national daily Times of India that “the franchise will always stand by him (Raina) and he has our complete support during these times of distress”.
The compassionate tone is in sharp contrast to what Outlook has published on Sunday after talking to Srinivasan about Raina’s sudden return from the UAE.
A day after Srinivasan was quoted as talking about Raina “missing all the money (a salary of 11 crores per season) he is going to lose,” the veteran cricket administrator reportedly talked about the importance of understanding “what Suresh is going through right now and give him space”.
Speaking to TOI on Monday, Srinivasan said “his (Raina’s) contribution to the CSK franchise has been phenomenal through the years”
The possibility of Raina’s return to the UAE cannot be ruled out once the team has completed its extended quarantine period and the infected people turned COVID-19 negative. It is pertinent to mention that veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has also not joined the team as of now.