Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh pulls out of IPL

September 4, 2020

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FILE PHOTO: India’s Harbhajan Singh (R) and Amit Mishra attend a practice session ahead of their first Twenty-20 cricket match against South Africa in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala, India, October 1, 2015. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo

(Reuters) – Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has opted out of this year’s Indian Premier League citing personal reasons, his team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) said on Friday.

Harbhajan is the second Chennai player to withdraw from the tournament after all-rounder Suresh Raina last week pulled out due to personal reasons too.

The 40-year-old Harbhajan helped Mumbai Indians win three titles before joining Chennai in 2018, where he took 23 wickets in the last two seasons.

“Harbhajan Singh informed us he won’t be available due to personal reasons. Team Chennai Super Kings is supportive of his decision and stands by him and his family during these testing times,” CSK said in a statement on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1301846713230077953, without naming a replacement.

This year’s IPL, which was originally scheduled to begin in March in India, is being held in the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament starts on Sept. 19.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Chennai; Editing by Toby Davis)