IPL 2021: Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan tests Covid positive, six close contacts isolated
IPL 2021: Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler T Natarajan has tested positive for Covid-19 just hours before they are set to take on Delhi Capitals in their first match since resumption of the season.
In Short
- The BCCI said that SRH player T Natarajan has tested positive
- All-rounder Vijay Shankar is among six close contacts who have been isolated
- The BCCI said that the match will go ahead as the other players have tested negative
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) fast bowler T Natarajan on Wednesday tested positive for Covid-19 in a scheduled RT-PCR test, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement. The board further said that Natarajan has isolated himself from the rest of the squad and is currently asymptomatic.
The news comes just hours before SRH were set to resume their 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign against Delhi Capitals. As reported by Sports Today earlier, the fate of the match depended upon the results of the rest of the players. The BCCI said in its statement that the match will go ahead as scheduled at the Dubai International Stadium as the other players have returned negative tests.
"The rest of the contingent including the close contacts underwent RT-PCR tests at 5AM local time this morning and the test reports are negative. As a result, tonight's game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals will go ahead at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai," said the board in its statement.
NEWS - Sunrisers Hyderabad player tests positive; six close contacts isolated.
More details here - https://t.co/sZnEBj13Vn #VIVOIPL — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 22, 2021
All-rounder Vijay Shankar is among six close contacts that the medical team has identified and placed in isolation. Apart from Shankar, the other individuals are team manager Vijay Kumar, physiotherapist Shyam Sundar J, Dr. Anjana Vannan, logistics manager Tushar Khedkar and net bowler Periyasamy Ganesan.
The development comes as a shocker after strict measures were taken by the organizers to prevent any COVID-19 cases. The cricketers were in a bio-bubble, while the hosts decided to allow some crowds.
Earlier in May, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had suspended IPL 2021 due to a spike in the number of coronavirus cases inside IPL's bio-bubble. After a lot of discussions, the board decided to shift the remaining matches to UAE due to the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in India.