IPL 2020 | 11 CSK staff rejoin bubble after testing negative, Rituraj Gaikwad to join after fresh tests
Chennai Super Kings will play their opening match against Mumbai Indians on September 19
|11 staff members, who tested positive earlier, have joined the Chennai Super Kings bubble after testing negative but Ruturaj Gaekwad will only be allowed after two more fresh tests. Gaekwad is touted to take over Suresh Raina’s position in the side after the UP southpaw pulled out of the IPL.
After landing in the UAE, Chennai Super Kings suffered a huge blow to their campaign when it emerged as many as 13 staff members, including Deepak Chahar and Rituraj Gaikwad, tested positive for Coronavirus, which extended their Quarantine period to 14 days. So much so that Suresh Raina also pulled out of the league, fearing the dire repercussions, but in a good news for CSK, 11 support staff have been allowed in the bubble after testing negative.
This comes after Deepak Chahar started to train with the team. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad hasn’t joined the squad yet and he will have to return two negative tests to be inducted to the squad.
"Ruturaj will undergo two tests as per protocol, today and tomorrow. If he tests negative, he will be back in the team hotel bubble. The other staff members have tested negative and are now back to normal. They are back in team bubble," CSK CEO KS Viswanathan told PTI on Sunday.
Apart from that, Gaikwad will also have to undergo cardiovascular and lung function tests to ascertain his fitness if he clears the coronavirus tests. So in all likelihood, Gaikwad is likely to be available for selection only after a week and might have to sit out of at least the tournament-opener on September 19 against Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi.
