New Delhi : The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season received a big jolt on Friday as the reports
of multiple members of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) contingent being tested positive for COVID-19
broke. It was reported that at least 10 staffers had contracted the virus along with a player, forcing the
entire team to go into quarantine mode. The player to have been infected has been identified as premier
pacer Deepak Chahar. Considering the latest development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) has also decided to put the schedule announcement of the Season 13 on hold.
The BCCI was expected to release the formal schedule of IPL 2020 before the end of this week,
considering the tournament is to start in about 20 days. It all looked fine as the franchises hit the training
ground to begin their pre-IPL camp. A prerequisite for the IPL camp to begin was a COVID-19 test
which everyone had to undergo. While all the 7 franchises passed the test with flying colours, the Super
Kings witnessed a big setback.
While the development isn’t expected to put the tournament under threat, the BCCI has decided to not
announce the schedule until they are in better control of the situation.
“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 the Times of India.
It also has to be noted that CSK was the only team of the eight franchises that held a camp in India
before departing to UAE. The BCCI had expressed its concern over the franchise’s decision to hold a
camp considering the situation in the country and even asked the management to cancel it.
“Senior BCCI officials had cautioned the CSK management about the risks of holding such a camp in
India,” a BCCI source told the paper.
The CSK management maintained that there was a need to hit the park before leaving for the UAE and
went ahead with the camp. After so many members tested positive for the virus, CSK sources believe
that “all it needs is one asymptomatic carrier and this (situation) could have happened to any team”.
“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.
Chennai players are set to be in quarantine for an extended period of time and that is what the entire
camp is most worried about. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were to play the season opener
as per the original schedule but the BCCI might have to change that now.
“It is difficult but the entire team is on the same page. We know we are in a position to absorb this delay
and take it in our stride,” a CSK source said. “As far as we know, we are playing on September 19 and
that’s how we are preparing mentally.”
A series of more tests will be conducted on CSK players and staff members before they would be
allowed to hit the training field. How and when it would happen, remains to be seen.
As for Chahar, he has to be in quarantine for the next 14 days. He would be allowed to hit the training
field only after testing negative for the virus twice with a gap of 24 hours.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made a big announcement on Saturday, ruling Suresh Raina out of
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season. The CSK vice-captain had arrived in UAE with the rest of
his Indian teammates and support staff a week ago but is now heading back home in India due to
personal reasons.
CSK took to Twitter to announce the big news, quoting CEO KS Viswanathan as saying: “Suresh Raina
has returned to India for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of the IPL season.
Chennai Super Kings offers complete support to Suresh and his family during this time.”
Raina had become the centre of focus for cricket fans in India alongside CSK skipper MS Dhoni after
the two had announced a joint-decision to call time their respective international careers on August 15.
Nicknamed Chinna Thala by his CSK fans, Raina is also known as ‘Mr. IPL’ in the T20 league having
established his credentials as one of the finest players in the tournament.
The past few days haven’t been the best for the Super Kings. Over 10 members of the franchise were
tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the latest round post which they were supposed to begin
training session in the UAE. With pacer Deepak Chahar being one of those infected, all the CSK players
and staff were given an extended period of quarantine.
In the middle of such chaos in the franchise, the news of Raina heading back to India because of some
personal reasons is truly shocking to both his peers and fans.
