KKR vs RCB match postponed as 2 KKR members test positive

Monday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ahmedabad has been rescheduled after two members of the KKR contingent tested positive for Covid-19, a BCCI source told PTI.

The match will be played sometime later during the tournament, which is scheduled to conclude on May 30.

"Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days. All other team members have tested negative for Covid -19. Both the players have isolated themselves from the rest of the squad. The Medical Team is in continuous touch with the duo and are monitoring their health. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders have now moved towards a daily testing routine to identify any other possible cases and treat them at the earliest.," the official IPL release stated.

Of the two, Warrier has not yet made the playing XI in any of the seven matches KKR have played.

KKR last played on April 29 against Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad and the development is bound to trigger some anxiety in the league, which had been going along smoothly so far.

"Now, the DC players will also have to be tested and every member of the team contingents that came in contact with Chakravarthy and Warrier will also be contact traced through the app watch that has been given to everyone," a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI.

"The other members of KKR contingent have tested negative but since the second RTPCR report of these two cannot be out before evening, the match couldn't have gone ahead," he added.

PTI further reported that KKR's pace spearhead Pat Cummins revealed the latest development to all the Australian players in the IPL after Chakaravarthy, while undergoing some shoulder scans for a niggle, tested positive for the virus.

He has appeared in all KKR matches and been one of their most successful players with seven wickets so far.

IPL had dealt with positive cases before the tournament started, including some high-profile names like Axar Patel and Devdutt Padikkal.

However, this is the first instance of positive cases in the middle of the tournament.

Just days before this, three Australian players had pulled out of the league, citing Covid-19 concerns amid a devastating second wave of the global pandemic that has overwhelmed the medical infrastructure of the country.