Kolkata Knight Riders' Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for COVID-19. KKR were scheduled to play Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ahmedabad on Monday
The 30th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed after 2 KKR members test positive for COVID-19. India is currently recording over 3 lakh cases everyday and more than 3,000 daily deaths.
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According to Cricbuzz, "some sort of communication has gone from the BCCI office to Ahmedabad" to inform local organisers, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), that the game will be rescheduled. The new date for the match is likely to be announced in the afternoon.
IPL later confirmed the development, and said: "Varun Chakravarthy 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.
Chakravarthy reportedly left the IPL bio-bubble recently through the official green channel to carry out a scan on his shoulder. And it's believed that he might have got exposed there.
"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 statement added.
According to IPL's Standard Operating Procedure for COVID-19 management, any close contact of an infected person has to isolate for six days and return three negative tests on days 1, 3 and 6.
Meanwhile, PTI reports that KKR's pace spearhead Pat Cummins revealed the latest development to all the Australian players in the IPL.
"Two members of the contingent have tested positive for COVID but we are waiting for their second test reports to avoid the false positive scenario that happened with Anrich Nortje of Delhi Capitals earlier," the agency quoted a source as saying.
KKR last played on April 29 against Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad and the development is bound to trigger some anxiety in the tournament, which had been going along smoothly so far.
"Now, the DC players will also have to be tested and every member of the team contingents that came in contact with Chakravarthy and Warrier will also be contact traced through the app watch that has been given to everyone," the source said. "The other members of KKR contingent have tested negative but since the second RTPCR report of these two cannot be out before evening, the match couldn't have gone ahead."
Earlier, Nitish Rana (KKR), Devdutt Padikkal (RCB), Kiran More (Mumbai Indians staff), Daniel Sams (RCB) and Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals) had tested positive for the dreaded virus.
Just days before this, three Australian players had pulled out of the league, citing COVID-19 concerns amid a devastating second wave of the global pandemic that has overwhelmed the medical infrastructure of the country.
It's worth noting that the 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League, was postponed in March after seven people, including six players, had tested for COVID-19. Only 14 matches could be completed in the 34-match T20 tournament.