IPL 2021 | Delhi Capitals asked to quarantine as MI and SRH skip practice

The recent developments that unfolded over the course of the day on 3^rd May sent shockwaves in the IPL and cricket community. Two Kolkata Knight Riders players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier ended up testing positive for COVID-19. That prompted the BCCI to reschedule the match between KKR and RCB which was to be played at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. A date  is yet to be announced.

During the day, several reports surfaced regarding COVID scares in IPL 2021. Three non-playing personnel of the Chennai Super Kings contingent had also tested positive while five DDCA groundsmen working at the Feroz Shah Kotla also ended up falling a prey to the virus. Though Rohan Jaitley, President of the DDCA later reported that none of the groundstaff that were present during the couple of matches in the weekend were among those that tested positive.

“There’s no one who is on duty at the matches who has tested positive,” Jaitley told ESPNcricinfo. “Since the numbers (in Delhi) peaked we had put them (groundstaff) in-house in a bubble and they were staying at the stadium. Since it is a taxing job, they get drained out. So we have groundstaff that are off-site tested and quarantined. After every few matches we rotate them.”

In light of these developments, there are several questions looming over the immediate future of the IPL. Delhi Capitals, who played a match against Kolkata Knight Riders on the 29^th of April have been instructed by the BCCI to quarantine. As a result, the players and staff will be isolating themselves.

“As we had played our last game against KKR, we have been advised to go into quarantine and all of us are in isolation. We are all in our rooms,” a Delhi Capitals official told Cricbuzz.

The duration of the team’s quarantine period is unknown as of now, but it puts considerable doubt on the DC practice session scheduled at the Motera on 4^th May. “We don’t have any information if that practice session will go ahead,” the official said.

Ironically, Delhi Capitals’ next match is against Kolkata Knight Riders on 8^th May in Ahmedabad.

Both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians who play against each other on 4^th May in Delhi decided to skip training at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium where groundsmen had tested positive. BCCI’s decision regarding tomorrow’s match is awaited.