|| Desk Report ||

While the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) will take place in UAE from September 19, Chennai Super Kings got big blows as many staff got affected by the COVID-19. Even their key player Suresh Raina has pulled out of the Indian Premier League in UAE for personal reasons. And, Shane Watson said that Raina would be okay and he will be missed by the team for the entire tournament as well.

"I woke up this morning to the really sad news that Suresh Raina is heading back to India for personal reasons. My heart goes out to you Suresh, I hope you're going okay mate. You are gonna be sorely missed for CSK," Watson said in an Instagram video.

"You have been the star for CSK, you are the heartbeat of the team and you are also gonna be missed by IPL tournament as well. You are such a star of the IPL but most important is your well-being and I hope you are gonna be okay," he added.

Shane Watson also opened up about the COVID-19 situation during their camp, where 13 members including two players have tested positive so far. Because of that, their isolation period has been extended by a week as well. Watson said that it's important to follow the bio-secure bubble protocols amid this crunch time.

"It's been interesting time to be locked down again for another seven days but this is the ever-changing world that we live in. We all have to do everything we can to stay safe and limit the chances of COVID spreading throughout the IPL because this is the best T20 tournament in the world, all players and everyone, all the fans want it to go ahead. I will do, and I know we all will do whatever we have to to be able to make sure that the IPL goes ahead," he said.