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NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) game between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has been rescheduled after two players tested positive despite the tournament’s bio-secure “bubble”.
The IPL match was called off just hours before its start in Ahmedabad today (Monday) after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier became infected. The positive cases come as India’s massive coronavirus surge raises questions about the IPL.
According to a statement, “The players have isolated themselves from the rest of the squad after testing positive,” adding, “All other team members have tested negative for COVID-19.”
The IPL said its doctors were in “continuous touch” with 29-year-old spinner Chakravarthy, and 30-year-old fast bowler Warrier, and were monitoring their health. Some media reports claimed the pair may have been infected when they left their team hotel for injury check-ups.
“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,” said the statement.
All IPL games so far have been held behind closed doors, but after three Australian players left the tournament last week, organisers sought to reassure the remaining foreign stars that they are “totally safe”.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stepped up coronavirus security as the surge has worsened. Players are tested every two days and cannot order food from outside their hotels.