CSK official quashes speculations of Harbhajan Singh pulling out of IPL 2020

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been struggling since the day they have arrived in Dubai. The three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions have followed all the protocols of BCCI, yet 13 of their members have tested positive for COVID-19. With only 18 days left for the cash-rich league to start, the yellow army is yet to begin their training.

The MS Dhoni-led faced the biggest hurdle when the vice-captain Suresh Raina pulled out of the IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. And there were reports that Harbhajan Singh might also pull out of the upcoming season. The veteran spinner is yet to reach in Dubai and a CSK official had something to say about his absence.

“He was to join the team on 1st September but he has again deferred his arrival. We don’t know when he’s coming or whether he’s coming at all as he has not updated us (management) on his decision. Him pulling out of IPL is all speculation at the moment,” the official told Times Now.

Chennai struggle to find the replacements

CSK’s camp must be hoping for the 40-year-old to join the squad as they are already in trouble with the vice captain’s absence. The Chennai franchise has to decide, who will play at no. 3 as Raina used to play there since the inaugural season. If Harbhajan Singh doesn’t arrive on time, the spin department will suffer a big blow as the off-spinner has been an integral part of the team.

With IPL shifted to UAE this year, the Chennai has an advantage of having large artillery of spin bowlers. Apart from Harbhajan, Piyush Chawla, Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner, Karn Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are part of it. Though skipper Dhoni still has other options to cover in case of his unavailability, Chennai’s camp would prefer to have the experienced bowler in their side.

However, the CSK management finally got a good news on Tuesday as all the other members of the squad were tested negative for Coronavirus. There will be another test before they can start training for the T20 extravaganza from September 4.