IPL 2020: Suresh Raina pulls out due to personal reasons
What's the story
Star batsman Suresh Raina is set to miss the impending edition of Indian Premier League due to personal reasons. The Chennai Super Kings informed about the development on Twitter, stating the 33-year-old has already returned to India. The announcement comes a day after several members of CSK contingent were tested positive for COVID-19. Here is more on the same.
Twitter Post
CSK confirmed the development on Twitter
Suresh Raina has returned to India for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of the IPL season. Chennai Super Kings offers complete support to Suresh and his family during this time.
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) August 29, 2020
KS Viswanathan
CEO
Blow
Members of CSK contingent tested positive for COVID-19
This is the second major blow to the IPL 2019 finalist CSK. Yesterday, some members of the contingent tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Although the names of the members were not made public, it is understood that the results read positive after they landed in Dubai. According to reports, the Chennai-based franchise will now need to extend its quarantine by a week.
Retirement
Raina announced retirement from international cricket last month
Last month, Raina announced his retirement from international cricket along with former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. He participated in the five-day training camp that was conducted by the CSK management in Chennai. After attending the camp, the entire squad then left for UAE last week to compete in the forthcoming IPL season, starting September 19.
Void
CSK will miss the services of Raina
The Super Kings will certainly miss the services of Suresh Raina. After all, he is the tournament's second-highest run-scorer, having scored 5,368 runs from 193 matches at 33.34. He featured in 158 consecutive games for CSK (IPL + CPL) before missing his first (2018) with a calf injury. In his absence, the onus will be on Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, and Faf du Plessis.
Schedule
CSK will aim for a fourth IPL title
The CSK are expected to begin their campaign in the opening fixture against defending champions, Mumbai Indians. However, the full schedule will likely be announced soon. Nevertheless, the Yellow Army, who lost to MI by one run in the previous year's finale, will vie for a fourth IPL trophy this time. This edition will also mark the return of MS Dhoni in competitive cricket.