In a surprising decision, former India captain MS Dhoni has decided to pull out of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament days before it kick starts.
Dhoni, who had a productive season with Jharkhand last year, has decided not to take part in the latest edition starting from January 7 due to undisclosed reasons.
"Yesterday, Dhoni has officially told us that he would not be available for the tournament," JSCA secretary Debasish Chakrabarty told Sportstar.
The decision leaves Dhoni with very little practice time before the IPL. He was retained by Chennai Super Kings and in all probability will lead them in the eleventh edition of IPL.
With Dhoni opting out, Ishan Kishan is expected to take the gloves for Jharkhand.
Dhoni, who does not play the longest format, is currently in Ranchi. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association was confident of getting the services of Dhoni as the 36-year-old was visiting the stadium regularly to keep himself fit for the limited overs series against South Africa next month.
India is slated to play six ODIs and three T20Is in South Africa after the three-match Test series.