IPL 2021: Today's KKR vs RCB clash rescheduled after 2 players test COVID positive

By Ayush Gupta | First Published May 3, 2021, 12:21 PM IST

The IPL organising committee and the Board of Control for Cricket in India have confirmed that two players from Kolkata Knight Riders have tested positive for COVID-19.

Match 30 of the 2021 Indian Premier League between former champion Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is postponed.

Sources told Asianet Newsable that a COVID-related concern is the likely reason for this development. Sources also indicated that there might be an apparent bubble breach, as a few of the Kolkata Knight Riders players have reportedly fallen ill.

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"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. Both the players have isolated themselves from the rest of the squad. 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," said IPL in a statement later.

"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 prioritise the health and safety of everyone involved and all measures are being taken in that endeavour,"the release added.

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Earlier, a few players (Ravichandran Ashwin, Liam Livingstone, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson) withdrew from the competition due to similar concerns. While Ashwin had some family members infected, the mentioned overseas players withdrew from fear of getting stranded if flying restrictions between the two countries were put in place. Also, umpire Nitin Menon had pulled out for family reasons related to the same. In contrast, Australian umpire Paul Reiffel had decided to pull out and return but couldn't as the travel routes had been halted.

Before the tournament, a few players (Devdutt Padikkal, Axar Patel, Nitish Rana) and some ground staff at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai had tested positive. Last week, IPL CEO Hemang Amin had ensured the safety of all the participating members, with strict bio-bubble measures in place, and that the BCCI would ensure the safe return of home of all the members involved.

As for KKR and RCB, both teams have a contrasting difference so far. Both have played seven games so far. KKR have won a couple and lost five, while RCB has done just the opposite, placed seventh and third, respectively.

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona

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