Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina will not play in the 2020 Indian Premier League for personal reasons.
Raina has returned to India from the United Arab Emirates, where this year's IPL will start on 19 September.
“Suresh 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,” said team chief executive officer Kasi Viswanathan.
The left-handed Raina retired from international cricket recently. He played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is between 2005 and 2018.
Raina's IPL Record
The 33-year-old Raina is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the IPL. He is second only to Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli.
Raina has 5368 IPL runs from 189 innings. He also played for the Gujarat Lions.
“Suresh has been arguably one of the finest T20 batsmen. A live wire on the field, Raina's prowess as a left-handed batsman was exhibited throughout his cricketing career,” said Board of Control for Cricket in India Jay Shah earlier this year.
“A big match player, Raina's cameo against Australia in the quarter-final in the 2011 World Cup was a testimony to his glittering career that followed. I wish him all the very best in the second innings of his career.”
IPL Background
The IPL will be played in the UAE for the second time. The tournament was also hosted there in 2014. Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai will again be the host cities.
The matches will be played without spectators, as a preventative measure against the spread of the coronavirus.
The Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions. They beat Chennai in the 2019 final. Mumbai have four titles. Chennai have three. The Kolkata Knight Riders have two. The Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have one each.
Dhoni will again captain Chennai this year. England all-rounder Sam Curran, former West Indian captain Dwayne Bravo, Australian star Shane Watson and South African trio Lungi Ngidi, Faf du Plessis and Imran Tahir are in the squad.
The Super Kings also have a host of local talent, including batsman Ambati Rayudu, spinner Harbhajan Singh and all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
