Sports / Sun, 21 Apr 2024 India Today

Suresh Raina lifts lid on CSK rumours: Angry MS Dhoni and Dubai hotel room balcony row

Raina scored 5528 runs in 205 matches in the IPL and was part of as many as 4 winning campaigns with the Super Kings. Raina's withdrawal came after several CSK players and members of their support staff tested positive for Covid-19. advertisementAlso Read: Suresh Raina jokes about IPL parties"Yes, I told this to MS Dhoni and the team management. Raine went on to lead the now-defunct Gujarat Lions for those 2 years, while MS Dhoni went to play for Rising Pune Supergiant. However, Dhoni and Raina reunited at CSK in 2018 and went on to inspire the team's triumphant run on their comeback.

World Cup-winning former India all-rounder opened up about his journey with the Super Kings and took time out to address speculations and rumours that floated around during his decorated career with the Indian Premier League franchise. From talking about the spot-fixing saga to the rumours around his withdrawal from the IPL 2020 season, which was held during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UAE, Raina was hitting sixes at will in a tell-all interview with India Today's sister channel, Lallantop.

Suresh Raina, fondly known as 'Chinna Thala' among the CSK faithful, played a key role in helping the Super Kings become a dominant force in the IPL. Joining the franchise along with MS Dhoni in 2008, the left-handed batter played for CSK until he retired from the competition in 2021. Raina scored 5528 runs in 205 matches in the IPL and was part of as many as 4 winning campaigns with the Super Kings. Raina was also part of CSK when they won 2 titles in the now-defunct Champions League.

IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule

Recalling the IPL 2014 Qualifier 2 against PBKS in Mumbai, Dhoni said he had never seen MS Dhoni as angry as he was after the Super Kings lost to a George Bailey-led side. Raina said Dhoni threw his pads and helmet off in the dressing room and had a longer than usual meeting with his teammates, saying the then CSK captain was angry at losing a match that they should have won.

"I have never seen Dhoni that angry. He vented it out after that match. He was like 'we don't score runs, we don't do this, that'. He threw his pads and helmet in the dressing room. He was irritated that we lost a match that we should have won. He was angry because we lost a match that we shouldn't have. Otherwise, we would have won the IPL that year as well," Raina said.

Speaking about his sensational knock of 87 from 25 balls, which included 6 sixes and 12 boundaries, Raina said he felt like a man possessed, but rued that the Super Kings were not able to chase down 227 despite scoring 100 runs in the first 6 overs. Raina acknowledged Virender Sehwag's sensational hundred for Punjab that eventually proved to be the difference between the two teams.

"I felt like a man possessed. The previous day, I had a dream that I would do something special. I was seeing the ball like a football. But, I was run out. The ball hitting the bat gave me a very different sound. I was feeling like no one could stop me," Raina added.

RAINA ADDRESSES DUBAI BALCONY RUMOURS

Suresh Raina at the CSK camp in IPL 2020 before his withdrawal (PTI Photo)

Raina also addressed the much-talked-about controversy surrounding his withdrawal from the IPL 2020 season. Raina travelled to the UAE with the rest of his CSK teammates but pulled out before the tournament, citing, at that time, personal reasons and concerns around the bio-bubble arrangements. Raina's withdrawal came after several CSK players and members of their support staff tested positive for Covid-19.

While it later also emerged that Raina left Dubai and went to be with his family after 3 of his relatives were murdered in Punjab, there were rumours that Raina left the bio-bubble as he was not given a hotel room with a balcony.

Rubbishing such rumours, Raina said he wanted to spend time with his father and his close ones, who were extremely upset, after the murders.

"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 in stress. I thought cricket came next, I could play anytime, first, my family was important.

Also Read: Suresh Raina jokes about IPL parties

"Yes, I told this to MS Dhoni and the team management.

"Family comes first.

"Then I returned, we played the 2021 season. We won the trophy.

"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.

"Definitely (a 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," he added, explaining his statement about the safety of bio-bubbles.

WE WERE SHOCKED: RAINA ON SPOT-FIXING SCANDAL

Meanwhile, Raina also opened up about the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal that led to the suspension of the Super Kings for 2 years. Raina said the players were shocked to hear about the details of the spot-fixing scandal while confirming that none of the players were involved in it.

CSK and Rajasthan were banned for 2 years (2016 and 2017) due to their involvement in the spot-fixing scandal, one of the biggest controversies to have rocked the IPL. Raine went on to lead the now-defunct Gujarat Lions for those 2 years, while MS Dhoni went to play for Rising Pune Supergiant.

However, Dhoni and Raina reunited at CSK in 2018 and went on to inspire the team's triumphant run on their comeback.

"We were players, we didn't know what happened. Then in 2016, I went, I was the captain of Gujarat. he went to Pune. Whatever happened, it must have been owner vs owner. No, we, the players, were unaware of anything, our phones are taken away during the matches. As players, we can't do anything," Raina said.

"Anti-corruption is very strong in India. You can't even think about it. You will be jailed.

"Nothing was proved (Rajasthan players banned for spot-fixing). But every player has his way. My motivation was always playing for the nation.

"When we got to know about it, we were shocked. We were playing the final against MI. We were banned for 2 years. When we came back, we won it. We were missing it.

"Some people were saying it was an old men's army. But, all the oldies came out swinging their swords. Our top 6 performed well. All of them, I think, scored over 500. Dad's Army. We were all with our daughters," he added.

Suresh Raina hanged up his boots after the IPL 2021 season and has been actively involved in commentary since then. The left-handed batter has been in good touch with the sport as he has been playing in locally-organised T20 leagues. Raina was part of the inaugural season of the Indian Veterans Premier League earlier in the year.