Reports | Chris Gayle tests negative after attending birthday party of Covid-positive Usain Bolt

In what has come as a major relief for the Kings XI Punjab camp ahead of the IPL 2020, the franchise’s star opener Chris Gayle is set to join the club with other KXIP players in Dubai, after returning two negative Covid-19 results. Gayle rumoredly attended the birthday bash of sprinter Usain Bolt last week, and thus after news emerged of there being a potential outbreak within the party, all attendees were asked to get themselves tested. Gayle, being one of the many stars who attended the party, got himself tested twice and confirmed the same on his Instagram stories, and now it is believed that the 40-year-old is good to go for the IPL. 

Despite returning two negative results, however, Gayle, as per the protocols, like every other player, will have to return four more negative results before he could start training inside the bio-bubble. The Jamaican opener would first get tested in the airport upon arrival in the UAE, after which he will be tested thrice - on days one, three and five - during a six-day quarantine period. Should he successfully return four negative results, the southpaw will then be cleared to join the bio-bubble and start training for the IPL 2020. 

While Gayle escaped from contracting Covid-19, not so lucky was his good friend Usain Bolt, who, according to his country's health minister Dr Christopher Tufton, tested positive for the virus. Bolt, in fact, posted a video on his Twitter handle, confirming that he was isolating himself as a precaution, and also asked all those who attended his birthday party to ‘stay safe’.  

This is not the first scare for Kings XI though as their middle-order batsman Karun Nair was reported as Covid-positive towards the end of July. The franchise later revealed that he had normal fever. The Karnataka man, however, tested negative on the arrival in Dubai.