The IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore scheduled for Monday has been rescheduled after two KKR members test positive for COVID-19, news agency PTI reported. Kolkata Knight Riders' Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for the dreaded virus. The match will be rescheduled some time later during the tournament, which will conclude on May 30. "Varun Chakaravarthy 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 star-studded league, which features the biggest names in international cricket, said in a press release. Leg-spinner Chakravarthy and pacer Warrier, both 30, have been isolated and the rest of the KKR contingent has returned negative reports for now. Of the two, Warrier has not yet made the playing XI in any of the seven matches KKR have played.
"The Medical Team is in continuous touch with the duo and are monitoring their health. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders have now moved towards a daily testing routine to identify any other possible cases and treat them at the earliest," the IPL stated.
The case of ongoing IPL amid a massive coronavirus surge in India had sparked controversy. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa had called the IPL amid security bio-bubble as one of the "most vulnerable". A day after deciding to quit the league midway citing personal reasons, Zampa, who has a contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore, had said the bio-bubble put in place for the ongoing T20 event was the "most vulnerable" he has been a part of while also suggesting that it should have been held in UAE, like last year.
However, Mumbai Indians' senior player Quinton de Kock had repudiated it, saying that his team feels "very safe". "To be honest, we trust in our doctors, so we are pretty safe in our bubbles. At least we feel very safe and it is quite easy," de Kock had said. "We still take precautions and I felt safe. I don't know about other guys. I am speaking for myself. It is being easy to get on with the game and practice and everything," the South African added.
Other players had also quit the IPL citing the COVID pandemic. Ravichandran Ashwin, a player contracted with the Delhi Capitals, had taken a break saying that his family is currently "putting up a fight against COVID-19" and he wants to support them. He hopes to return to the side "if things go in the right direction".
Most recently, on Monday, India had recorded 3,68,147 new coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of cases to 1,99,25,604. The death toll increased to 2,18,959 with 3,417 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8am showed.
-Inputs from PTI
