8 Wankhede ground staff test positive

MUMBAI: The preparation for the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the Wankhede Stadium suffered a setback when eight of the 19 groundsmen at the stadium tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

The IPL is set to kick-off on April 9 in Chennai while the Mumbai leg of the matches are to be held between April 10 and April 25 with the first match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals at the venue. A total of 10 matches will be played at the Wankhede.

A total of six bio-bubbles are being organised for the IPL, with Mumbai being one of the venues. While the IPL will be played behind closed doors because of the Covid situation, the groundsmen testing positive is a worrying sign. Mumbai is in the middle of an intense second wave of the pandemic.

Most of the groundsmen don’t stay at the ground and have to commute daily, mostly by train. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is now planning to house the staff at the ground itself till the matches are over. “We will make arrangement for the ground staff at the stadium itself with immediate effect. We have many rooms at the ground where they can be housed,” said an MCA official. “There will be no threat to IPL matches at the Wankhede. We will be ready by the time the tournament starts,” he added.

MCA were also in talks with Wankhede curator Ramesh Mhamunkar on whether he needs additional staff to get the ground ready. MCA has in-house ground staff at their facility at BKC and Kandivili who can be called over to help.