In 2020, IPL faced its first postponement in its history in the aftermath of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament was rescheduled to between September 19 and November 10 (instead of the customary April-May window) as well as hosted outside India, in the UAE. IPL Controversies- Part 30: Angry MS Dhoni Takes Field To Confront Umpires During Clash Against RR in 2019.

Before leaving for the UAE, the Chennai Super Kings camp had a camp in Chennai from August 15 to 20. Then the team left for the UAE. On August 29, Chennai Super Kings announced that Suresh Raina – one of their superstars and an IPL legend in his own right – had left for India for personal reasons. They also expressed their ‘complete support to Raina and his family’. IPL Controversies- Part 29: Virat Kohli Enters Match Referee’s Room After Questionable No-Ball Call Against MI in 2019.

Some rumours (and unofficial reports) suggested that Raina had left because he had not been assigned a hotel room with a balcony. However, the rumours were never confirmed.

‘Sometimes success gets to your head,’ N Srinivasan, owner of the Super Kings, told Outlook in a candid interview. ‘Cricketers are like prima donnas … Like the temperamental actors of the olden days.’

It later transpired that Raina’s uncle and cousins in Pathankot had been murdered by a gang of robbers and that he had wanted to be with their nearest of keen as well as spend more time with his own family during the Covid-19 pandemic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2021 05:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).