All players test negative in Ahmedabad as SMA Knockout preparation kicks off

The final phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Tournament will be played at the refurbished Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad and all players have tested negative before entering the bio-bubble.

Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Baroda, Bihar, and Rajasthan are the eight teams who have reached the Super League phase of the tournament and reached the venue on January 20. They were tested for Covid immediately on arrival.

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“All have come negative,” Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) official Cricbuzz.

The Super League phase will kick start on January 26 and will run till January 31 – with all the games set to be televised. Many franchises will keep an eye on this, especially with the IPL auction set to take place on February 18 as reported by PTI yesterday.

Selectors to be present in Ahmedabad

The national team selectors will be present at the venue with the team selection for the upcoming England series taking precedence. A Gujarat Cricket Association official revealed the details that the newly-appointed selection committee headed by Chetan Sharma is also expected to watch the knockouts.

However, it is not certain if all the selectors will be traveling with the team or only a select few will travel. With the Indian team kickstarting preparations on February 2, it is expected that only Debasish Mohanty and Abey Kuruvilla will be with the team in Chennai with most of the other selectors being present at the Syed Mushtaq Ali games.