Covid tests play havoc with IPL
An Indian Premier League match has had to be rescheduled after two players tested positive for Covid-19, raising doubts over the fate of this year’s edition of the world’s richest Twenty20 cricket tournament.
The match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders was postponed hours before its scheduled start in Ahmedabad after two Kolkata players tested positive.
“Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days,” the league said. “All other team members have tested negative for Covid-19.”
New Zealanders Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert play for KKR and they are coached by Brendon McCullum.
IPL authorities did not give more details but local media reported that spinner Chakaravarthy had left the bio-bubble for a shoulder scan after which the positive cases were reported.
“. . . Kolkata Knight Riders have now moved towards a daily testing routine to identify any other possible cases and treat them at the earliest,” the league said.
KKR’s medical team was tracing close contacts of both the players, it added.
The Delhi Capitals, the last team to play KKR, have been asked to isolate.
ESPNcricinfo reported that three non-playing members of the Chennai Super Kings also tested positive on Sunday. Chennai officials were not immediately available to confirm.
A senior Indian cricket board official told Reuters last week that the league would continue as planned, defying fierce social media criticism for staging the tournament amid India’s national coronavirus crisis.
Australian players Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson cut short their IPL stints and returned home.
India on Tuesday reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for a 13th straight day.
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel did not respond to requests for comment but a member of the league’s governing council said there was no threat of the tournament being called off.
“We are investigating how the infection happened but we have full confidence in the bio-bubble arrangements. It’s totally secure,” the member told Reuters by telephone.