IPL 2020: Suresh Raina's exit due to rift over hotel room? N Srinivasan says 'sometimes success gets into head'

Chennai Super Kings owner and former BCCI president N Srinivasan reacted to veteran batsman Suresh Raina pulling out of IPL 2020 as he said that the southpaw will regret his decision of heading back to India and would want to come back in some point of time apart from the hefty INR 11 crore per season of his salary.

Entire CSK fan base was left shocked when the Super Kings on Saturday announced that Raina will miss IPL 2020 due to ‘personal reasons’. While speculation was rife that positive cases in the CSK contingent played a role in Raina pulling his name out of IPL 2020, the report in Outlook which had comments from Srinivasan as well, stated that Raina was unhappy with his hotel room and wanted a similar room which was allotted to MS Dhoni. Apparently, a room without balconies made Raina ‘claustrophobic’ in the strict bio-secure environment.

The season has not begun yet and Raina will certainly realise what he is missing and certainly all the money (a salary of 11 crores per season) he is going to lose,” Srinivasan told Outlook.

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“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,” he further said.

Srinivasan added that cricketers are like temperamental actors of the olden days and in CSK, senior players have learned to co-exist. 

“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 learned to co-exist,” said Srinivasan.

ALSO READ: Suresh Raina to miss IPL 2020 due to personal reasons

However, the exact reason of Raina opting out of IPL 2020 is still unknown and it will be the first season where the second-highest run-scorer in IPL history will miss the lucrative tournament, which is scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. 

"I spoke to MS (Dhoni) and he has assured me that even if the numbers go up, there was nothing to worry. He spoke to the players through a zoom call and asked them to remain safe. You really don't know who is a passive carrier," Srinivasan said.

"I have got a solid captain. Dhoni is simply unfazed by anything. That is giving everyone in the team a lot of confidence," Srinivasan added. 

While Raina is known for his down to earth and happy going demeanour, it is surprising to see reports stating that there was a rift between him and CSK management.