Today’s IPL encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) in Ahmedabad has been postponed by the BCCI after two KKR players—Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19.
UPDATE: IPL reschedules today’s #KKRvRCB match after two KKR players test positive. #VIVOIPL
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 3, 2021
Details – https://t.co/vwTHC8DkS7 pic.twitter.com/xzcD8aijQ0
This is the first time in the Indian Premier League that the match has been postponed even though some of the players, as well as support staff, had contracted the virus earlier. The match was scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday (May 3). The new date of the fixture will be announced soon.
According to the reports, the decision was taken due to COVID-19 concerns in the KKR and the RCB camp after Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for the virus. As per a BCCI official quoted by ANI, the positive test results made RCB wary and they were not inclined to take the field in the current scenario.
While other members of the KKR team and support staff have tested negative but since the second RTPCR report of them cannot be out before evening, the match could not have gone ahead, the official said.
Meanwhile, Sydney Morning Herald reported that Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, who also plays for KKR, is also unwell and currently under self-isolation.
Earlier, before the start of the tournament, Delhi Capitals players Axar Patel had tested positive for COVID-19. Similarly, KKR player Nitish Rana and several groundsmen of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai had tested positive for the virus.
Concerns have been raised by several overseas players after the dramatic rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the last few weeks. Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye and Liam Livingstone are four of the overseas players who have left the tournament midway citing bio-bubble fatigue.
However, India on Sunday registered a slight dip in the number of daily coronavirus cases as it recorded 3,68,147 new cases of infection and 3,417 deaths in the last 24 hours.
