Dhoni & Co. finally hit the nets BHAJJI WANTS TO BE WITH FAMILY
Dubai, Sept. 4: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and all other Chennai Super Kings players, except for the Covid- 19 afflicted duo of Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad, finally hit the nets on Friday after clearing a third round of testing for the virus here.
With Deepak and Ruturaj testing positive last week along with 11 members of the CSK contingent, the team was forced to delay its training plan after completing the six- day quarantine, including three tests, upon arrival on August 21.
The coronavirus- free players returned negative in the additional round of testing on Thursday, clearing their way to start training.
The results were a major relief to the franchise, which was hit by 13 positive cases last week. The team has also received a setback with the pullout of its senior players, Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, due to personal reasons.
The IPL is due to start on September 19.
Deepak and Ruturaj, along with 11 staff members of the contingent, will be tested twice by the end of next week when their 14- day isolation period gets over. They need to return with two negative tests before being allowed to train.
New Delhi, Sept. 4: Senior off- spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday became the second high- profile name to pull out of this year’s Indian Premier League owing to “personal reasons”, saying he has informed the Chennai Super Kings team management about his decision.
The 40- year- old, who has been a part of CSK during the past two seasons is currently in
Jalandhar with his family and requested privacy.
“I have informed the CSK management about my decision to pull out of this year’s IPL. I have decided to take a break due to personal reasons in these difficult times. I expect that everyone would respect my need for privacy,” Harbhajan, who was bought by the franchise for ` 2 crore this season, said on Friday.
At this point, he said it was important for him to devote time to his young family, comprising wife Geeta and four- year- old daughter Hinaya.
“I would only say that there are times when family takes precedence over sport. My young family is my focus of attention now. But yes my heart will be in the UAE with my team.
“I am sure that Chennai Super Kings will put up yet another fabulous performance.”.