CSK players Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for COVID-19, BCCI delays announcement of IPL schedule

It has been confirmed that the Indian pacer who tested positive for COVID-19 is Deepak Chahar, along with 12 other members of the CSK staff. Other than Chahar, reports have emerged that, opening batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad has also been affected by the virus.

Both players will now have to undergo a 2-week quarantine period and test negative for the virus twice in the span of 24 hours, before attaining permission to enter the bio-secure bubble to train.

Prior to departing for the UAE, Chennai Super Kings underwent a brief conditioning camp at Chepauk. They were the only IPL team to do so, despite concerns from the BCCI. A source from within the BCCI said, “Senior BCCI officials had cautioned the CSK management about the risks of holding such a camp in India.”

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However, the CSK management believed that the team, which consists of several players aged 30 or more, required training before departing for Dubai. They still insist that all it needs is one asymptomatic carrier and this could have happened to any team.

A source from CSK said, “There are many players who were coming from a long lay-off. The likes of MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina had played very little cricket even before the lockdown in March. That’s why CSK insisted on having the camp, to have a few extra days under their belt.”

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The BCCI stated that although there was no immediate threat to the tournament, the announcement of the schedule has been delayed. A BCCI source told TOI, “Adequate measures are in place to tackle the situation and there is no immediate threat to the tournament. But the announcement of the fixtures has been delayed because of this development.”