Apprehensions about living in a lonely, bio-secure environment with news of colleagues testing positive for Covid-19, combined with a personal tragedy are understood to be the reasons for Suresh Raina leaving the Chennai Super Kings camp and heading home from IPL 2020, Cricket Age exclusively learns.
Raina is the first to drop out of this year’s edition, being held in the UAE from September 19-November 10 due to the Covid-19 situation in India, but may not be the last. The last few days have tested CSK’s resolve and two of its players, swing bowler Deepak Chahar and young batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, have already tested positive.
Raina, who has a young family including two children, is believed to have told the team management – Viswanathan, captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming – that he was finding it difficult being “cooped up” in the hotel room. Not just Raina, but several other members of Super Kings contingent have been troubled by the team hotel, which is in a desolate part of town.
Raina’s decision apparently caught the Super Kings management by surprise, because he had only recently committed to helping the team win its fourth IPL title. But he communicated to the management that he was finding it difficult to stay in the bubble.
Harbhajan Singh, another important player for CSK, has also not joined the team in UAE and expected to arrive on September 1.
“Senior spinner Harbhajan Singh who is in India and did not take part in CSK’s preparatory camp in Chennai (Aug 15-20) is worried whether to participate in the tournament or not,” a source close to the player told Cricket Age.
Many players, mostly foreigners, are yet to join their teams in the UAE, and some among them are bound to be in a dilemma like Harbhajan whether or not to play amid the pandemic. The league was first postponed from April-May and then shifted out of India.
