Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh’s decision to withdraw from the 2020 IPL for personal reasons has left a huge void in the Chennai Super Kings squad before the tournament begins on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates. At a time when CSK has yet to announce replacements for Raina or Harbhajan, former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta said the southpaw could be back in the UAE to join the Yellow Army. .
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Dasgupta, who has played eight Tests and five ODIs for India, feels Raina could miss out on CSK’s first games due to quarantine rules, but hopes that the dynamic first-order hitter will return with the team. The former Bengal goalkeeper also hinted that this is perhaps why CSK is not very keen on naming a replacement for Raina, who is their top IPL run scorer.
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“I have a feeling that Suresh Raina will play the IPL again. She could miss the first few games because of the quarantine rules and all, but I have a feeling Suresh will be back, “Dasgupta told ESPNCricinfo. “It won’t surprise me they don’t pick a replacement for Suresh.”
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Raina, for her part, has not yet ruled out the possibilities of her return to the UAE to contest the IPL. “I have been training even while I was quarantined here. You never know you might see me there at camp again, ”Raina told Cricbuzz.
CSK’s other big star, Harbhajan Singh, who was the last to skip this year’s IPL, is currently in Jalandhar. Dasgupta feels the Jalaj Saxena off-roader can be an ideal replacement for the veteran.
“When it comes to replacement, there aren’t too many options. But I think Jalaj Saxena deserves a spot, it’s a good enough off-roader. I think they could look at him, he is a very good option to replace Bhajji, “added Dasgupta.
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