Reports | Three CSK members, including bowling coach L Balaji, test positive for Covid-19

Indian Premier League’s Covid crisis is deepening as it is being reported that three non-playing members from Chennai Super Kings have tested positive for Covid-19. The said persons are believed to be bowling coach L Balaji, Chief Executive Officer Kasi Viswanathan and another staff, and the trio are said to have returned a positive result in Sunday’s round of testing. ESPN Cricinfo reports that the trio underwent another round of testing earlier today to confirm whether the initial results were true.

“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 Super Kings' contingent, which is currently in Delhi, have tested negative. The results emerged after the latest round of testing on Sunday,” read the ESPN Cricinfo report.

“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 it is reestablished that they are positive, the trio would need to undergo 10 days of isolation in a designated isolation facility outside the team bubble and return two negative tests before re-entering.”

Earlier, the RCB vs KKR clash scheduled for later today was called off after two KKR players, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, tested positive for Covid-19.  

Meanwhile, fresh reports have emerged claiming that 5 DDCA ground staff, who were on duty during the Rajasthan vs Sunrisers encounter on Sunday, have tested positive for Covid-19. Insidesport reports that the infected persons were on duty on Sunday, and could, according to their sources, very well have come in contact with multiple players.

"It’s confirmed that five DDCA ground staff tested Covid positive. They were on duty on the ground on the last IPL Match (RR vs SRH) at Kotla. Since they were on ground duty, there are chances that they must have come in contact with players and team staff,” a DDCA official in the know-how of the matter told InsideSport.