Mumbai
There is nothing the former champions, Chennai Super Kings are worried about despite their two talismans flying back to India, as they are back into some serious cricket with the team getting fine-tuned for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League which starts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19.
They will start their campaign when they take on the mighty Mumbai Indians who are the defending champions September 19. MS Dhoni and his boys are serious as they have always been despite the fact they will be without two of the senior-most players in the likes of Suresh Rain and Harbhajan Singh, and there is nothing the think-tank are thinking of their replacement.
With their quota of overseas players already filled, there were rumours that there could be some big Indian names that could come up, but that has been laid to rest as they are not thinking of any replacement as of now.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan cleared the air while talking to a section of the media, "We are not looking at anybody at this point of time," about replacement plans for Raina and Harbhajan.
While asked about the overseas player, he said that their eight quotas have been filled and there was no question of finding an overseas player.
Viswanathan said they 'cannot look at foreigners now' as potential replacements. CSK already is at the upper-limit with eight overseas players in their squad.
It has not been a good start for CSK, when they landed in the desert nation, 13 of their members tested positive for Covid-19 and were forced to extend their quarantine period, while their batting coach, Michael Hussey making a statement as a 'dodgy start to the 2020 championship.
But, that has been laid to rest along with Raina and Harbhajan pulling out, as they were into serious cricketing.
However, CSK seems to be back on track as they are busy with their training sessions in Dubai. Scheduled to play the IPL 2020 opener against defending champions Mumbai Indians on September 19, CSK will be hoping for a smooth ride here on. There was good news for the franchise as one of their 2 players, who tested positive for the virus, recovered and joined the rest of the squad.
Suresh Raina pulled out of IPL 2020, citing personal reasons midway during his quarantine period in the UAE, while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh followed suit as he has been roped in by Star Sports for commentary.
Chennai Super Kings, like most IPL teams, have enough depth to deal with the absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh.
Chennai Super Kings have ample experience and a core group of Indian players who can step up in the absence of Raina, their all-time scorer in the IPL.
