IPL 2021 – Covid-19 at CSK

Results after Sunday’s round of testing, it is understood the rest of the contingent has tested negative

Three members of the Chennai Super Kings’ IPL contingent – chief executive officer Kasi Viswanathan, bowling coach L Balaji and a bus cleaner – have tested positive for Covid-19. It is understood that the rest of the squad, 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.

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

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.

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 of the contingent – including players Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad – to test positive in Dubai ahead of the tournament.

More to follow…