IPL 2020: Harbhajan Singh to miss training camp in Chennai before heading to the UAE

Turbanator Harbhajan Singh will not be seen in the training camp that has been set up by the Chennai Super Kings to polish players ahead of the big tournament coming up next month in UAE.  The spinner will miss the camp owing to some personal commitments, but is expected to join the squad at the earliest. The franchise has sought a prior permission from Tamil Nadu Govt. to host the five-day camp on their home ground MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Captain Cool MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Karan Sharma, Piyush Chawla and Deepak Chahar have already landed in Chennai to boost their fitness and forms. Pacer Shardul Thakur will also not be able to jump in the camp soon, stating some personal reasons. The Yellow Army is set leave for the gulf country probably on August 21. As per bio-security protocols laid down by BCCI, the team will undergo quarantine of seven days before showing up on field.

Speaking to the Times of India, sources quoted, “Harbhajan and Thakur had a few personal commitments and we understand that. However, they have already started training on their own. So we aren’t worried about them missing our camp. They’re expected to join the camp on August 19.”

Harbhajan Singh- the IPL veteran

The flag bearer of Indian spin attack still aims to make a comeback in the national team as he has never given a thought to retirement. Away from the international arena since 2016, the spinner has had a great stint with two of the most successful teams in IPL- Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, and continues to push his boat forward in the cash rich league.

The jovial Turbanator has featured in 160 matches in IPL by scalping 150 wickets at an average of 26.44. Picking seven wickets in his last five matches in IPL, his all-time best stands at five for 18. The 39-year-old has credit of picking 417 Test and 269 ODI wickets for India.

Under the able guidance of MSD, Chennai Super Kings are aiming to lift their fourth IPL trophy this season. Mumbai Indians remain their arch rivals in the tournament as Rohit Sharma & Co. have lifted the trophy maximum i.e four times in the T20 event so far.