CSK CEO's message to fans ahead of IPL: 'Need not worry, Thala will take care of team'

Despite losing out on stalwarts Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina and being hit by COVID, the Chennai Super Kings' haven't shaken a bit and are confident of winning their fourth IPL title in the upcoming tournament. CSK CEO KS Viswanathan has expressed confidence in the franchise and skipper Dhoni who has navigated the team through 'very tough times'. The CEO added that the players are in 'good spirit' and that Thalaivan will 'definitely' take care of the team. 

'You need not worry'

In a message to CSK fans on Sunday, the franchise CEO reported that the team is in 'very good shape' and that they need not worry. "This is to confirm that the team is in very good shape. You need not worry. We have a skipper who has navigated us through very tough times. Thalaivan will definitely take care of the team and we are very confident. They have started practice from day before and the players are also quite in good spirit," Viswanathan said in a video posted by CSK. 

READ | 13 CSK Members Test COVID Negative; Chahar & Ruturaj To Join Squad Post 2 Week Quarantine

The franchise has dealt with severe blows weeks before the tournament commences. Veteran players Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina pulled out of the upcoming tournament due to personal reasons. Moreover, the franchise was hit by COVID as 13 members were infected by the virus. The blow extended CSK's quarantine period by a week while infected players - Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad - still remain in quarantine and will only join the squad after completing two-weeks and testing negative again. The MS DHoni-led side will also feature in the opening clash of the tournament against Mumbai Indians on September 19 and are yet to name a replacement for Raina and Bhajji as well. 

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IPL 2020 schedule announced 

With just two weeks to go for the IPL 2020, the schedule for the 13th edition of the tournament has been announced. Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the opening clash of the tournament on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Compared to the regular 8 pm IST start, the games will start half an hour earlier in the upcoming edition. The afternoon matches are set to begin at 3:30 PM IST while the evening games will commence at 7:30 PM IST.  Check the full schedule here.

After the tournament opener on Saturday, Dubai will host its first game on Sunday when Delhi Capitals take on Kings XI Punjab followed by the third match on Monday between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.  In all, 24 matches will be held in Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi and 12 in Sharjah, while the venues for playoffs will be announced later.

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CSK 2020 Full Squad

Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay, MS Dhoni, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore