With players from the Kolkata Knight Riders testing positive for COVID-19, IPL may have entered a crisis. BCCI announced that the game between KKR and RCB on May 3 has been postponed. KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19.
According to Sportsgyan, the COVID investigation began after Chakravarthy was admitted to the hospital with an abdominal problem. When Warrier tested positive (the contact-tracing could lead to Chakravarthy), the entire KKR camp was quarantined in an Ahmedabad hotel.
“All other team members have tested negative for COVID -19,” said a statement from BCCI.
Both the players and the support personnel will be isolated for seven days. They will complete the bio-secure procedures before returning to the field. All of the participants are remaining within their rooms, and food is being delivered outside, according to Sportsgyan.
The game will be rescheduled after a message was sent from the BCCI office. The message was sent to Ahmedabad, the ground of Monday’s game, and local organizers Gujarat Cricket Association. The GCA representatives have been informed that a new date is yet to be confirmed.
This growth, however, will result in further schedule re-jigging. With KKR expected to play DC in Ahemdabad on May 8, it’s likely that this game will be rescheduled as well.
Earlier, RCB’s Devdutt Padikkal and Delhi Capitals’ Axar Patel had tested positive for Covid-19 before joining their respective squads.
Statement by BCCI about this incident in IPL
“Both the players have isolated themselves from the rest of the squad. The Medical Team is in continuous touch with the duo and is monitoring their health. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders have now moved towards a daily testing routine to identify any other possible causes and treat them at the earliest. The Medical Team is also determining the close and casual contacts of the two positive cases during the 48 hours prior to collection of the sample that returned the positive test results. The BCCI and the Kolkata Knight Riders prioritize the health and safety of everyone involved and all measures are being taken in that endeavor,” the release added.
The RCB, led by Virat Kohli, are in third place with 10 points from seven games. While the Kolkata Knight Riders are in seventh place with two wins from the same number of games.