SRH’S Natarajan tests Covid positive, Shankar also isolates
Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19 but the team’s IPL match against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday went ahead as scheduled after the remaining contingent was found to be negative.
Left-arm pacer Natarajan, who is coming back from a knee surgery, has been isolated along with six close contacts which also include out of favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar.
“Sunrisers Hyderabad player T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19 at a scheduled RT-PCR test. The player has isolated himself from the rest of the squad. He is currently asymptomatic,” a BCCI release stated.
“The rest of the contingent including the close contacts underwent RT-PCR tests at 5AM local time this morning and the test reports are negative. As a result, the game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals will go ahead at the Dubai
International Stadium, Dubai,” it added.
The close contacts identified by the medical team include Vijay Kumar (team manager), J Shyam Sundar (physiotherapist), Anjana Vannan (doctor), Tushar Khedkar (logistics manager) and Periyasamy Ganesan (net bowler). As per IPL’S Standard Operating Procedure, Natarajan will have to isolate for 10 days and test negative twice before being allowed back into the bubble.
A senior BCCI official tracking IPL developments said Sunrisers Hyderabad could have done better in terms of arranging their travel plans.
“It is a bit weird that Natarajan tested positive on the 11th day of his arrival from India. He has tested negative thrice as per protocols during the first five days. During the six-day quarantine, there was always the risk of one such case,” he said on condition of anonymity.
“That effectively means IPL’S Covid protocol policy remains questionable. I don’t think IPL’S operations team should have allowed SRH to arrive that late. In case you are arriving late, then it should have been 14-day hard quarantine,” he added.
The development is a major blow to SRH, who could not avail his services in the first leg due to injury. The 30-year-old Natarajan has 20 IPL wickets from 24 matches he has played.
The glitzy league resumed here on Sunday after it had to be halted in May due to multiple Covid cases in its bio-bubble when the event was being staged in India. Even at that time, SRH was affected when wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive.