Suresh Raina revealed that he withdrew from the tournament to spend time with his family.©BCCI
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Suresh Raina has spoken out about the much talked about controversy surrounding his withdrawal from the IPL 2020 season in the UAE. Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, Raina traveled to the country with the rest of the players, but withdrew before the start of the season, citing personal reasons and COVID-19 bio-bubble arrangements. There were different theories about Raina’s decision to withdraw. One such rumor claimed that Raina left the bio-bubble after she was denied a hotel room with a balcony.
Addressing the rumours, Raina revealed that she pulled out of the tournament to spend time with her father and those close to her after her relatives were killed in Punjab.
“There was mourning in the family, I went to Punjab. In my uncle’s family there were deaths. It happened in Pathankot. So I went there. But there was a biological bubble in the IPL where you couldn’t go back. My father was very upset. When the Kachche gang did what they did, my whole family was stressed. I thought cricket would come next, I could play anytime, firstly, my family was important,” Raina said during an interaction at Lallantop.
Raina further revealed that the situation in her country was chaotic and the ongoing pandemic has made the situation even worse.
“Yes, I told this to MS Dhoni and the team management. Family comes first. Then I came back, we played the 2021 season. We won the trophy. due to Covid-19 and then this happened I thought I should go home and be with my family,” he added.
After missing the 2020 season, Raina returned to CSK the following year and helped the team win the title.
It turned out to be his last season as at the end of that year he decided to announce his retirement from all formats of the game.
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