The Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday has been postponed after two KKR players tested positive for Covid-19. Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier have tested positive, while the rest of Eoin Morgan’s KKR team tested negative. The match was scheduled to start at 15:00 BST in Ahmedabad.

Over the weekend, India recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll since the pandemic began.
It is the first positive test result to come out of the IPL since the tournament began on 9 April. Leg-spinner Chakravarthy, 29, and pace bowler Warrier, 30, have been isolated and their teammates will be tested daily. It has been reported Chakravarthy left the bio-secure bubble to go for a scan on a shoulder problem. The tournament’s medical team are also tracing close contacts of the two players.

The IPL is taking place across six venues in India, with players travelling between them on charter and private flights. Teams stay within secure areas of hotels and resorts in the various cities and do not have contact with people outside the bubble.
“The BCCI and the Kolkata Knight Riders prioritise the health and safety of everyone involved and all measures are being taken in that endeavour,” a statement added. Australians Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson flew home early from India because of concerns over the virus.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also took a break from the tournament to support his family. The England and Wales Cricket Board said it will “continue to monitor and communicate” with its players and staff in India. “In terms of continued participation, it will be a decision that will be taken by each individual,” a spokesperson added. “We acknowledge these are challenging times and our thoughts are with the people of India.”

Cricket Australia has also donated A$50,000 (£27,874) to Unicef to help fight the virus. There are shortages of medical oxygen and beds in hospitals across India, with 3,689 people dying of the virus in the past 24 hours.

Three members of CSK contingent test positive; none of them players

Three members of the Chennai Super Kings’ IPL contingent – chief executive officer K Viswanathan, bowling coach L Balaji and a bus cleaner – have tested positive for Covid-19. It is understood that the rest of the group, which is currently in Delhi, has tested negative. The results emerged after the latest round of testing on Sunday.

It is understood that Viswanathan, Balaji and the member of the maintenance staff took a fresh test on Monday morning to rule out the possibility of a false positive. If they test positive again, they would need to spend 10 days in a designated isolation facility outside the team bubble and return two negative tests before re-entering.

Three members of the Chennai Super Kings’ IPL contingent – chief executive officer K Viswanathan, bowling coach L Balaji and a bus cleaner – have tested positive for Covid-19. It is understood that the rest of the group, which is currently in Delhi, has tested negative. The results emerged after the latest round of testing on Sunday.

It is understood that Viswanathan, Balaji and the member of the maintenance staff took a fresh test on Monday morning to rule out the possibility of a false positive. If they test positive again, they would need to spend 10 days in a designated isolation facility outside the team bubble and return two negative tests before re-entering.

Balaji, the former India fast bowler, was in the team’s dugout on Saturday, when the Super Kings lost a last-ball thriller to the Mumbai Indians. As things stand though, their next match, against the Rajasthan Royals in Delhi on May 5, is set to go ahead.

This follows the news that Monday’s IPL game has been postponed after two Kolkata Knight Riders players tested positive.

An ECB spokesperson said the England board was monitoring the situation at the IPL, but the decision to continue to play or leave would be left to the players. “We continue to monitor and communicate with our players and staff currently in India,” the spokesperson said. “In terms of continued participation, it will be a decision that will be taken by each individual.” Among the 11 England players currently at the IPL, three belong to the two affected franchises: Moeen Ali and Sam Curran are with the Super Kings, and Eoin Morgan is with the Knight Riders.

This is the second time the Super Kings have had to deal with an outbreak in the team bubble. At IPL 2020, in the UAE, Viswanathan’s wife had been one of several members – including players Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad – to test positive ahead of the tournament.

Source: Espn Cricinfo, BBC Sport