Raina pulled out of IPL 2020 due to rift over hotel room? N Srinivasan says ‘sometimes success gets into head’

New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Suresh Raina has returned to India due to ‘personal reasons’, reacting to this CSK owner and former BCCI President N Srinivasan said the left-hander will regret his decision and would want to come back. Srinivasan also said that cricketer was acting like a ‘prima donna’.

CSK announced on Saturday that Raina has returned back to India due to personal reasons and will not take part in the upcoming season of IPL. While the exact reason for his departure from the team is not known yet, rumours of a possible ‘rift’ between him and captain MS Dhoni have surfaced. It has also been claimed that Raina was not happy with the room provided to him at CSK’s team hotel in Dubai as the left-hander wanted a similar room like Dhoni.

Speaking to Outlook, N Srinivasan said that Raina’s sudden departure shocked the team and added that CSK captain MS Dhoni, however, was in full control of the situation. “Cricketers are like prima donnas … like the temperamental actors of the olden days. Chennai Super Kings have always been like a family and all senior players have learnt to co-exist (sic),” Srinivasan told Outlook. The magazine further reported that Raina was dissatisfied with the room allotted to him in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and that Dhoni could not pacify his teammate.

“My thinking is that if you are reluctant or not happy, go back. I don’t force anyone to do anything … sometimes success gets into your head,” Srinivasan said.

After 13 members of their contingent, including two players, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, CSK were handed another huge blow when key batsman Suresh Raina pulled out of IPL 2020 to return back home.

IPL 2020 is scheduled to take place between September 19 and November 10 in the UAE. Recently, 13 members of CSK tested positive for coronavirus after they reached UAE, postponing the practice sessions.