Blow For Chennai Super Kings As Harbhajan Singh Confirms Withdrawal From IPL 2020

Harbhajan Singh has confirmed he has pulled out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons. The veteran spinner has become the second CSK player after Suresh Raina to pull out of the tournament. With Harbhajan Singh’s latest comments, the speculation surrounding his participation in the IPL has finally come to an end.

Speculations were rife after he missed the team’s pre-season camp in Chennai last month from August 15 to 20. He also did not accompany the team to UAE before reports stated that he would leave for the gulf country in September. However, Harbhajan Singh has decided against playing in the IPL this year.

“I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons.These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. @ChennaiIPL CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL,” he wrote on Twitter.

Dear Friends
I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons.These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. @ChennaiIPL CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL
Stay safe and Jai Hind

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) September 4, 2020

As per reports, he had informed CSK of his decision to pull out from IPL 2020 owing to personal reasons two weeks ago but the team had asked him to take some more time and think over his decision.

This will be yet another big blow for the three-time champions. In the spin-friendly conditions of the UAE, Harbhajan Singh’s experience would have played a crucial role for the franchise. Having joined CSK in 2018, he had picked up 16 wickets last season when CSK made it to the final.

CSK still have a formidable spin department though. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner as well as Sai Kishore form the team’s spin attack.

Last week, Raina had also returned to India from UAE citing personal reasons. The franchise later confirmed that he has pulled out of the entire competition. Things are not really falling into place for CSK ahead of IPL 2020. Last week, 13 of their members including two players – Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad – had tested positive for COVID-19.

The whole squad and all franchise officials in the UAE were then asked to self-isolate themselves for an additional 7 days. The three-time champions are likely to hit the nets from Friday, subject to clearance of the 2nd round of testing.

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