IPL 2020: Suresh Raina opts out of the upcoming IPL for “personal reasons”

The southpaw has already returned to India from UAE.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coped a huge blow ahead of the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) as their leading batsman Suresh Raina has opted out the competition due to “personal reasons”.

In a tweet, CSK on Saturday (August 29) confirmed that Raina has returned to India and won’t be available for the entire campaign.

The post quoting CSK CEO KS Viswanathan reads: “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.”

The news of Raina’s unavailability came just a day after it was reported one CSK player and 12 support staff members tested positive for the novel Coronavirus.

According to a report published in India Today, all the members of the CSK squad who have tested COVID-19 positive are stable and have been isolated.

The 2020 season of Indian Premier League will be played in UAE from September 19 to November 10.

The 60 matches will be held behind closed doors across three venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.