There is finally some good news in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp as 11 of the 13 affected COVID-19 members have returned testing negative. Among the members to come back was CSK pacer Deepak Chahar. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad will undergo two more tests starting Sunday and could miss the first few matches.
“Ruturaj will undergo two tests as per protocol, today and tomorrow. If he tests negative, he will be back in team hotel bubble. The other staff members have tested negative and are now back to normal. They are back in team bubble,” CSK CEO KS Viswanathan told PTI on Sunday.
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Gaekwad tested COVID positive just days after pacer Chahar tested positive as well. He is in the ranks to replace Suresh Raina in the middle-order after the left-hander opted out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons.
Gaikwad will have to follow the established IPL guidelines and will have to undergo cardiovascular and lung function tests if he returns negative in the next two COVID tests. He will only be available for selection only a week after he returns fully fit into the side.
Mandatory Quarantine Period For Warner, Smith, Hazlewood
Meanwhile, Australian cricketers, David Warner, Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood will have to remain in a six-day quarantine period upon their arrival in the UAE according to Chennai Super Kings bowling consultant Eric Simons. The trio will travel to the UAE directly from Manchester after the completion of the ongoing ODI series against England. They have been in a bio-secure bubble throughout the limited-overs series in England.
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“We are hearing – although it’s not confirmed yet – that they will also have to self-isolate in their rooms for six days and produce negative tests on the first, third and sixth days before they can join us,” Simons wrote in his column for ‘Manners on Cricket’ website.
“We had hoped that they could all move from their current bio-secure bubbles into ours but it seems likely that there will be no ‘leniency’, which is understandable.”
Hazlewood was earlier bought by CSK in the IPL 2020 auction for two crores.