Harbhajan Singh became the second CSK player after Suresh Raina to pull out of IPL 2020 on Friday. He took to Twitter to announce that he won’t be part of this year’s IPL, citing personal reasons.
“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. CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL Stay safe and Jai Hind,” Harbhajan tweeted
Hours after his announcement, speculations started doing the rounds on his exit from the tournament.
As many as 13 members of CSK contingent were found positive for COVID on Friday. Reports suggested that it, perhaps, played a role in Harbhajan’s decision to opt-out of this year’s IPL. However, recently one of Harbhajan’s friends dismissed all the rumours surrounding his IPL exit and said that the COVID cases in CSK camp have nothing to do with Harbhajan’s exit from 2020 IPL.
“It wasn’t about the COVID cases in the Chennai camp. But if you have a wife and toddler staying in India for three months, your mind will be diverted and you can’t fully focus on the game. Then it doesn’t matter whether you get two crores or 20 crores. Money is last on your mind,” a friend of the player told PTI.
Harbhajan Singh has been a vital part for CSK in the last two IPL seasons. Overall, he is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL, with 150 wickets to his name. He has represented CSK in 24 matches, picking 23 wickets with the best figure of 3 for 20.
As of now, CSK haven’t announced any replacement for Harbhajan Singh. IPL 2020 is due to start on 19th September. The final will be played on 10th November 2020.
