CSK Star Suresh Raina to miss IPL 2020 due to ‘personal reasons’
Over 10 members of the franchise tested positive for COVID-19 due to which Kings had decided to extend the mandatory six-day quarantine in UAE.
New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings’ star all-rounder Suresh Raina has returned home from the United Arab Emirates and will miss the whole of IPL 2020.
CSK took to Twitter to announce the big news, quoting CEO KS Viswanathan as saying: “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.”
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.
KS Viswanathan
CEO— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) August 29, 2020
Raina had become the centre of focus for cricket fans in India alongside CSK skipper MS Dhoni after the two had announced a joint-decision to call time on their respective international careers on August 15. Nicknamed ‘Chinna Thala’ by his CSK fans, Raina is also known as ‘Mr. IPL’ in the T20 league having established his credentials as one of the finest players in the tournament.
“Raina has opted out due to personal reasons, he does not want to disclose it, I do not think he will be back for this season, he said he is not available for this season, we are hoping that he comes back but we do not have any say in this, the reason is too personal for me to disclose, he has said he will not be coming back,” a top source within CSK told ANI.
The 13th edition of the IPL will be played from September 19 to November 10, across three venues in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.
The final match is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament. This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
On August 15, Raina had announced retirement from international cricket.
It was on July 30, 2005, when Raina made his debut for the Men in Blue. He went on to make his debut in an ODI match against Sri Lanka at Dambulla.
In his first ODI, Raina did not have a good outing as he was sent back to the pavilion on a duck. But over the years, the left-handed batsman managed to change his fortunes to become one of the finest white-ball cricketers.