With stardom comes speculations, and Suresh Raina has faced the brunt of it. India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Raina addressed the long-pending rumour surrounding his absence from IPL 2020 (in the UAE). While several reports suggested he got into a rift with the team management over not getting a balcony room, Raina rubbished all those reports, saying the reality was something else.

In a tell-all interview with Lallantop, Raina revealed the real reason behind opting against playing for CSK that season. Squashing all the rubbish reports of not playing because of not getting the balcony room, Raina said due to bereavement in his family, he remained unavailable for selection and left the bio-bubble to be with his near and dear ones.

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“There was bereavement in the family. In my uncle’s family, there were deaths. A group of gangsters killed the entire family. It happened in Pathankot.”

“So, I went there. But there was a bio-bubble in the IPL, where you couldn’t return. My father was very upset.” 

“When the Kachche gang did what they did, my entire family was under stress. I thought cricket came next; I could play anytime; first, my family was important,” Raina revealed.

‘Family comes first’

Speaking further on this, Raina said he did tell MS Dhoni and the team management, as everyone was on the same page on why he headed home, remaining unavailable for selection for the complete season.

“Yes, I told this to MS Dhoni and the team management,” Raina continued. “Family comes first.”

However, upon his return to the franchise the next season in 2021, Chennai beat Kolkata in the final to win the IPL trophy for the fourth time. That edition was also Raina’s last season in the cash-rich league before announcing his retirement.

“Then I returned, we played the 2021 season. We won the trophy,” he said. “But the previous year, the family was in chaos. They were all in depression already due to Covid-19 and then this happened.”

“I thought I should go home and be with my family,” Raina added.

The left-handed batter Raina added that considering the condition worldwide because of the COVID-19 virus, he couldn’t return to the setup because he had to be in a bio bubble for two weeks, so he decided to skip that season.

“Definitely (on the statement that bio-bubbles weren’t safe). The virus was everywhere. Everybody was getting tested for Covid-19. Everybody was getting tested every day.” 

“I couldn’t go back because of the bio-security bubble. You have to be in isolation for 15 days before coming back. After that, you have to be tested. So I had to be in the hotel for 30 days. So, I thought it was not practical,” Raina added.

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