Harbhajan pulls out of IPL due to personal reasons

Chennai : Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has pulled out of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons.

"Dear Friends, I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons. These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. @ChennaiIPLCSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL Stay safe and Jai Hind," Harbhajan said in a tweet.

The 40-year-old spinner has been a part of the CSK over the past two years. Harbhajan is one of the most successful bowlers in the history of IPL with 150 wickets. Earlier, CSK all-rounder Suresh Raina had also opted out citing personal reasons.

The IPL starts on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). CSK, meanwhile, were scheduled to start training from Friday after all their players, except the two infected with coronavirus, tested negative for Covid-19 in their latest round of testing.

Sources in the know of development confirmed to IANS that all players and support staff, who underwent their third round of testing on Thursday, have returned negative and would start training from Friday evening. Last week, two players and 11 other members of the CSK contingent had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and were subsequently put in isolation.