Speaking to TOI on Monday, Srinivasan said that “(Raina’s) contribution to the CSK franchise has been phenomenal over the years.”
Srinivasan is also of the firm opinion that “it is important to understand what Suresh is going through at the moment and give him space.”
Since he was chosen by CSK before the inauguration IPL In 2008, Raina has been the quintessential “Chennai boy”, earning the nickname “Chinna Thala” (second in command) to Captain MS Dhoni or “Thala” (leader).
With 5,368 runs in 189 innings, a century and 38 half centuries, and a strike rate of 137.14, Raina happens to be the second highest IPL runner of all time during the tournament’s 12 seasons thus far. Raina, in fact, is also the most capped player in the IPL with 193 matches, three ahead of Dhoni, and all predominantly for the same franchise, the Chennai Super Kings, save for the two years he played for the Gujarat Lions team.
The CSK chief says such contributions are priceless. “The franchise will always be by your side and you have our full support during these times of distress.” Srinivasan further told TOI.
Raina began to feel claustrophobic inside the hotel room of the Taj in Dubai after team members became isolated after their arrival in the UAE and the SUV panicked due to lack of enough space to move.
“These guys are family. They’ve been family for over a decade. When I said ‘cricketers are like prima donnas,’ it wasn’t in a negative sense. A prima donna is the lead singer of an opera. Similarly, cricketers are always at the forefront of an exercise like this, “clarified Srinivasan, stressing once again that it was regrettable that it had been quoted out of context.
The former head of BCCI says that IPL is the pride of India and the country’s largest export brand to the world. “We are very proud to say that ‘IPL is among the largest sports properties in the world’ and rightly so, because what it has accomplished in just 13 years is phenomenal.”
“We need to preserve it in all its glory and work to make it bigger and better,” Srinivasan told TOI.
Srinivasan also sees the switch from IPL to UAE, amidst the pandemic, as a gigantic exercise, which is destined to become something of a model for other sporting properties around the world to follow.
“The league has moved out of the country twice in the past, but this time the circumstances are different. In that sense, Indian cricket is setting a global benchmark for world sport. A successful IPL in UAE should and will develop. it will become the new global benchmark for sports in the post-Covid era. It is something to be proud of, “he said.
In that context, Srinivasan believes that “everyone should come together and work towards a successful IPL.” That, he adds, can only happen when all stakeholders share the same vision.
“I can see that this is already happening and it is a great feeling to see the 13th edition take shape,” he added.
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