‘COVID on the field’ before the IPL; Rajasthan fielding coach falls ill.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) reported its first Covid-19 case on Wednesday with Rajasthan Royals fielding coach Dishant Yagnik testing positive. The news comes at a time when preparations for the much-delayed 13th edition of the league are in full swing and franchises are busy sorting out the logistics to take players to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the tournament will be played from September 19.
Rajasthan Royals, the 2008 champions, issued a statement saying Yagnik has tested positive. The team was set to assemble in Mumbai next week for their flight to the UAE. The franchise said that it “implemented an extra test for all the players, support staff and management traveling to the UAE in addition to the two tests recommended by BCCI, to ensure as robust a process as possible”.
Yagnik, who was a wicket-keeper batsman for Rajasthan in the domestic circuit and also represented the franchise in IPL, is currently in his hometown Udaipur, Rajasthan. He has been advised to get admitted to a hospital for his 14-day quarantine.
Covid is on the field before the teams leave for the 13th Indian Premier League, which was transplanted to the UAE following the expansion of COVID. Covid-19 confirmed to Rajasthan royals fielding coach Dishant Yagnik as he prepares to leave for UAE. The Rajasthan Royals have revealed this. Dishant Yagnik is the first person to be confirmed COVID by a test before returning to the UAE for the IPL.
This years IPL will be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. The tournament has been shifted to UAE as the spread of COVID in India is still rampant. The teams travel to the UAE on specially chartered flights. As they have to be quarantined there all the team shall go within this month. ‘Covid-19 has been confirmed to our fielding coach Dishant Yagnik’: The Rajasthan royals said in a statement.
The management conducts a separate COVID inspection as per the BCCI instructions for all team members. This includes the players, the coaching staff, and the management representatives accompanying the team, the team management said.
With the confirmation of COVID, Dishant entered the quarantine. According to the BCCI’s COVID protocol, distant will now go to the UAE only after confirming that COVID has tested negative twice. Even if he arrives in the UAE, he will remain in the quarantine for another 6 days. And after testing thrice only he can join the team. The Rajasthan team asked everyone who has been in contact with Dishant for the last 10 days to enter the quarantine and undergo the test.
Dishant, who has played 25 matches in the IPL, has scored 170 runs. He made his debut in first-class cricket for Rajasthan In 2004, scoring 1754 runs in 50 matches at an average of 24.70. The whole team is looking for alternative options for their successful IPL season.
