Reports | Announcement of IPL fixtures put on hold after CSK’s COVID-19 positive cases

While the IPL Governing Council has confirmed that IPL will start on September 19, the fixtures have not yet been announced due to the multiple decisions at stake. Adding to that misery, 11 positive cases of COVID-19 in CSK’s camp has led to BCCI putting a hold on the announcement of IPL fixtures. 

Times of India, on the other hand, confirmed that it was Deepak Chahar, CSK’s new-ball bowler who tested positive for COVID-19 and will now undergo a 14-day quarantine period. Prior to landing in the Middle East, CSK were only the IPL team to hold a camp in India, over the period of five days, where they aimed to bring the players back to fitness. 

“Adequate measures are in place to tackle the situation and there is no immediate threat to the tournament. But the announcement of fixtures has been delayed because of this development,” a top BCCI source told TOI.

“Senior BCCI officials had cautioned the CSK management about the risks of holding such a camp in India,” a BCCI source said.

However, a source close to the franchise said that it needed just one asymptomatic carrier for the situation to blown up. With a lot of players in the franchise who have not played cricket in the last six-seven months, the official added that it was absolutely necessary to hold the camp in Chennai. 

“There are many players who were coming from a long lay-off. The likes of MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina had played very little cricket even before the lockdown in March. That’s why CSK insisted on having the camp, to have a few extra days under their belt,” a source said.

“As far as we know, we are playing on September 19 and that’s how we are preparing mentally,” the source added.