Sorry Chennai Super Kings fans! Suresh Raina is not coming back, clarifies CSK CEO

Bengaluru, September 26: The Chennai Super Kings fans are clamouring for the return of Suresh Raina after the team slid alarmingly down the ladder with two defeats in three games. However, they will have to be disappointed as the Super Kings CEO firmly ruled out the return of Raina to CSK fold for IPL 2020.

"We cannot look at (Suresh) Raina because he made himself unavailable, and we respect his decision and his space. We are not thinking about it," Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan was quoted as saying by the ANI.

"I can assure the fans that we will bounce back strongly. It's a game and you have your good and bad days. But the boys know what they need to do and the smiles will be back," said Viswanathan.

Raina had travelled to UAE with the Super Kings teammates for the IPL 2020 but returned to India citing personal reasons. The left-handed all-rounder, highest run-getter for CSK and the second highest run-scorer in the IPL behind Virat Kohli, is currently engaged in opening a cricket academy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni also asked his batsmen to step up in the absence of premier batsmen like Raina and Ambati Rayudu, who has been laid low by a hamstring injury.

"We are lacking a bit of steam in the batting and that hurts. The run rate keeps on mounting after such slow starts and adds pressure, we need to figure that out. We need to come back with a clearer picture, looking at the combination. There are quite a few things we can think about. We are one batter extra to start off, so the players need to step up," Dhoni said after the Super Kings lost Friday's match to Delhi Capitals by 47 runs.

The CSK coach Stephen Fleming too has admitted that the team is in a "muddled state" and needed to revisit the strategy.