CSK will always stand by Suresh Raina: N Srinivasan clarifies his statements on former Indian left-hander
CSK chief N Srinivasan provided some clarity on his comments on Suresh Raina’s abrupt departure from the camp, stating that his words were taken ‘out of context’ by the media people.
Srinivasan spoke to the Times of India on Monday, saying, “His (Raina’s) contribution to the CSK franchise has been phenomenal through the years. The franchise will always stand by him and he has our complete support during these times of distress.”
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Srinivasan then went on to clarify his earlier comments on the CSK left-hander, who happens to be the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the IPL. He said, “These boys, they’re family. They’ve been family for over a decade now. When I said ‘cricketers are like prima donnas’, it wasn’t in a negative sense. A prima donna is the lead singer in an opera. Similarly, cricketers are always at the forefront of an exercise like this.”
A sight that will be missed in this year’s IPL
Srinivasan also talked about preserving the T20 league and taking steps to enhance it. He said, “We take such a lot of pride in saying ‘IPL is among the world’s biggest sporting properties’ and rightly so, because what it has achieved in just 13 years is phenomenal. We need to preserve it in all its glory and work towards making it bigger and better.”
The shifting of the IPL to the United Arab Emirates amidst a pandemic, according to Srinivasan, is a gargantuan task in itself. He believes that this activity will become a model for other sporting leagues across the world to follow.
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Srinivasan said, “The league was moved out of the country twice in the past, but this time the circumstances are different. On that count, Indian cricket is setting a global benchmark for world sport. A successful IPL in UAE should and will become the new global benchmark for sports in the post-COVID era. It is something to be proud of.”
Srinivasan believes everybody coming together and working towards a successful IPL can take place when the stakeholders share the same vision. He said, “I can see that happening already and it’s a great feeling to see the 13th edition taking shape.”