CSK will stand by Suresh Raina at this time of distress: N Srinivasan

In an interview with The Times of India, Srinivasan said, "His contribution to CSK has been phenomenal over the years."

He added, "It is important to understand what Suresh is going through and give him space."

"The franchise will always stand by him and he has our complete support during these times of distress."

Though CSK CEO KS Viswanathan had said Raina returned to India owing to his personal reasons, several media reports had claimed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's confidante had skipped the mega tournament because he was unhappy over the room he was allotted.

In tune with the media reports, Srinivasan told Outlook slamming Raina, "Cricketers are like prima donnas ... like the temperamental actors of the olden days. Chennai Super Kings have always been like a family and all seniors players have learnt to co-exist."

"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

"I spoke to MS (Dhoni) and he has assured me that even if the numbers go up, there is 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."

It was on Saturday when Raina came out in public and shared with all how his uncle was slaughtered in Punjab while his aunt and cousins suffered injuries.

He had tweeted, "What happened to my family is Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my bua & both my cousins had sever injuries. Unfortunately my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua is still very very critical & is on life support."

Tagging his tweet to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Raina had demanded an inquiry into the incident.

The southpaw had tweeted, "Till date we don’t know what exactly had happened that night & who did this. I request @PunjabPoliceInd to look into this matter. We at least deserve to know who did this heinous act to them. Those criminals should not be spared to commit more crimes."