IPL 2021: Despite BCCI’s hard stance on conducting IPL 2021 in India and bragging about safe bio-bubbles, the COVID-19 crisis has entered the IPL’s acclaimed bio-bubbles. In the latest development, Delhi Capitals team has been asked to quarantine after two players of Kolkata Knight Riders — Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier — tested positive for the virus. DC played KKR on April 29 and as a precautionary measure, Delhi players and support staff are now in quarantine in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, SRH and MI have canceled their practice on Monday after five groundsmen tested positive in Delhi.
“As we had played our last game against KKR, we have been advised to go into quarantine and all of us are in isolation. We have been self-isolating in our rooms since this afternoon,” a DC official told Cricbuzz.
On Monday, the entire IPL 2021 tournament came under the scanner with many demanding the tournament be cancelled after five groundsmen at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi, two members of CSK staff (bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji and a bus cleaner) tested positive for the virus besides Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier.
“Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days. All other team members have tested negative for COVID-19,” the IPL said in an official statement.
UPDATE: IPL reschedules today’s #KKRvRCB match after two KKR players test positive. #VIVOIPL
Details – https://t.co/vwTHC8DkS7 pic.twitter.com/xzcD8aijQ0
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 3, 2021
As a result, Monday’s match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad has been postponed.
“The CSK contingent has two COVID-19 positive cases. A support staff member has tested positive and a bus cleaner. Cannot give you the name of the support staff. The team’s training session has been cancelled as a precautionary measure,” a BCCI official told ANI.
IPL 2021: COVID-19 crisis deepens as MI, SRH cancel practice
However, the fallout of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier testing positive has had a ripple effect as Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians who will face each other on Tuesday cancelled their practice on Monday. It came after five groundsmen of Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium tested positive for COVID-19 as Insidesport first reported the incident.
“It’s confirmed that five DDCA ground staff tested Covid positive. They were on duty on the ground on the last IPL Match (RR vs SRH) at Kotla. Since they were on ground duty, there are chances that they must have come in contact with players and team staff,” a DDCA official in the know-how of the matter told InsideSport.
However, Rohan Jaitley, the president of the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), which is in charge of Kolta stadium, said that the ground staff were not present for the last two matches.
“There’s no one who is on duty at the matches who has tested positive. Since the numbers (in Delhi) peaked we had put them (groundstaff) in-house in a bubble and they were staying at the stadium. Since it is a taxing job, they get drained out. So we have groundstaff that are off-site tested and quarantined. After every few matches, we rotate them,” Jaitley told ESPNcricinfo.
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