Suresh Raina has pulled out of IPL 2020 and returned home to India, according to a social media post on Chennai Super Kings’ official handle.
‘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,’ read the post that is undersigned by CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan.
This is a major setback for Chennai Super Kings who have had to extend their quarantine period in the UAE till 1 September after 10 members of their travelling party, including an unnamed player, tested positive for coronavirus in the last week. The team and the BCCI have not made an official statement on the matter so it is not yet known if Raina’s decision to return to India has anything to do with yesterday’s development.
Raina had only recently announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a career spanning 13 years in which he represented India in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is.
The 33-year-old has so far played 193 games for CSK in which he has accumulated more than 5,000 runs at a strike rate of above 137. Besides, he has also picked 25 wickets.
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