Former South Africa and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Albie Morkel on Tuesday (September 15) said that Suresh Raina's decision to opt-out of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 due to "personal reasons" has left the three-time champions CSK lineup quite “unbalanced”.
He further claimed that Raina’s absence will leave a massive gap at the CSK camp as the swashbuckling batsman has been a run machine for the CSK and electric in the field over the years and now the franchise would have to make changes in the batting order to get their balance right for the IPL 2020.
Morkel told IANS in an exclusive interview: “He (Raina) has been a run machine for them and electric in the field, so [his absence] will leave a massive gap. They (CSK) will probably have to make a few changes now to cover for him and get the balance of the team right.”
Raina has played 193 games in IPL and scored more than 5,000 runs in the IPL so far. However, the left-hander had traveled with the team to the United Arab Emirates for the IPL 13 starting on 19th September but returned to India in a controversial manner.
He also recalled his CSK stint under legendary MS Dhoni by saying: “I enjoyed my time at CSK the most. We had six very successful years, but apart from that the group of players really got along. Dhoni was the cornerstone of our success. He is someone who leads by example.”
Morkel signed off by saying, “He is obviously very skillful in what he does, but also has the ability to stay calm under immense pressure. Other players reach their 'breaking points' before him. He knows that and takes full advantage of that.”
(With IANS Inputs)
