IPL 2020: ‘This is news to me’ - CSK CEO reacts to reports of Suresh Raina being replaced by Dawid Malan

CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has quashed the reports of England left-hander Dawid Malan replacing Suresh Raina in the Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 2020.

CSK has been tight-lipped about a replacement ever since senior-pro Raina decided to fly back to India and give this year’s IPL a miss citing personal reasons but on Friday reports emerged that No.1 ranked T20I batsman Dawid Malan, who has been in fantastic form of late, might replace the former India batsman.

Viswanathan, however, denied the reports saying that the foreign quota of eight players in the CSK squad is already full.

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“This is news to me as well because our quota of foreign players is already full. So I don’t know how we can have another foreigner in the squad,” Viswathan told ANI.

Asked if there was any injury issue with any other foreign player that led to the rumours, he said there isn’t any.

Viswanathan’s comments also somewhat erases doubts over West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo’s participation in this IPL. A few eyebrows were raised when Bravo did not bowl in the CPL final which Trinbago Knight Riders won, due to an injury.

Raina was not the only setback CSK received before their opening match of IPL against defending Mumbai Indians on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was another member of the squad who had decided to pull out of the tournament due to personal reasons.

The CSK management however, have so far shown very little interest in naming a replacement for either of the two veteran cricketers.

In some positive news for the three-time champions, medium pacer Deepak Chahar was cleared to train from Friday.

Viswanathan said that Chahar has got an all-clear not just from the CSK side but also from the BCCI medical team and is ready to hit the ground running.

“Deepak has all the necessary clearance from the CSK and BCCI side and will start training from today,” he said.

(With ANI inputs)