• Volunteers stand next to the burning funeral pyres of people who died with Covid-19 in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India. Reuters
    Volunteers stand next to the burning funeral pyres of people who died with Covid-19 in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India. Reuters
  • People break their Ramadan fast in Karachi, Pakistan, amid the coronavirus pandemic. EPA
    People break their Ramadan fast in Karachi, Pakistan, amid the coronavirus pandemic. EPA
  • Fans at a live music concert in Liverpool, England. The event was part of a pilot programme to examine ways of putting on events in a post-Covid world. AFP
    Fans at a live music concert in Liverpool, England. The event was part of a pilot programme to examine ways of putting on events in a post-Covid world. AFP
  • Customers dine outside a restaurant in New York City. The pandemic emptied the city's streets last year, but now some businesses are returning. Bloomberg
    Customers dine outside a restaurant in New York City. The pandemic emptied the city's streets last year, but now some businesses are returning. Bloomberg
  • Football fans protest against Manchester United's owners outside Old Trafford before an English Premier League match against Liverpool. Sports stadiums across the UK remain under strict coronavirus restrictions. Getty
    Football fans protest against Manchester United's owners outside Old Trafford before an English Premier League match against Liverpool. Sports stadiums across the UK remain under strict coronavirus restrictions. Getty
  • People walk on a nearly deserted street in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Turkish security forces are patrolling main streets and have set up checkpoints at entry and exits points of cities to enforce Turkey's strictest Covid-19 lockdown so far. AP
    People walk on a nearly deserted street in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Turkish security forces are patrolling main streets and have set up checkpoints at entry and exits points of cities to enforce Turkey's strictest Covid-19 lockdown so far. AP
  • Thai health officials take samples from workers during a Covid-19 test drive outside a shopping mall in Bangkok. EPA
    Thai health officials take samples from workers during a Covid-19 test drive outside a shopping mall in Bangkok. EPA
  • A soldier gives instructions as people line up to receive a dose of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at a school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. AFP
    A soldier gives instructions as people line up to receive a dose of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at a school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. AFP
  • An officer checks a man's phone during a police operation to tackle those breaking Covid-19 restrictions in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Reuters
    An officer checks a man's phone during a police operation to tackle those breaking Covid-19 restrictions in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Reuters
  • People wear masks to help curb the spread of coronavirus at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP
    People wear masks to help curb the spread of coronavirus at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP
  • Visitors wearing masks walk towards the entrance of Shanghai's Disneyland theme park. Travel and hotel bookings for China's five-day break that began on May 1 have all surged, beating those for the same period in 2019, according to Trip.com. Bloomberg
    Visitors wearing masks walk towards the entrance of Shanghai's Disneyland theme park. Travel and hotel bookings for China's five-day break that began on May 1 have all surged, beating those for the same period in 2019, according to Trip.com. Bloomberg
  • Members of the public wait to be vaccinated in Perth, Western Australia. From May 3, the over-50s are eligible for the Covid-19 immunisation programme at two mass public vaccination clinics in the city. EPA
    Members of the public wait to be vaccinated in Perth, Western Australia. From May 3, the over-50s are eligible for the Covid-19 immunisation programme at two mass public vaccination clinics in the city. EPA

Cricket

IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore postponed after two players test positive for Covid

Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days

Steve Luckings
Steve Luckings
Abu Dhabi

May 03, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Monday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad has been postponed after two Kolkata players tested positive for Covid-19, organisers said.

Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days, the IPL said. All other team members have tested negative for Covid-19.

"Both the players have isolated themselves from the rest of the squad. The medical team is in continuous touch with the duo and are monitoring their health," the league said. "Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders have now moved towards a daily testing routine to identify any other possible cases and treat them at the earliest.

"The medical team is also determining the close and casual contacts of the two positive cases during the 48 hours prior to collection of the sample that returned the positive test results."

Cricket website ESPNCricinfo reported that the players tested positive after one of them had left the tournament's bio-secure bubble for a shoulder scan.

It added that three non-playing members of the Chennai Super Kings, including chief executive Kasi Viswanathan and bowling coach L Balaji, also tested positive on Sunday.

The trio went for another round of testing on Monday to rule out the possibility of false positive reports, ESPNcricinfo said.

Chennai officials were not immediately available to confirm.

No date was given for the match to be rescheduled. The 2021 IPL regular season concludes on May 23, with qualifiers and eliminators to follow before the May 30 final.

All IPL games so far have been held behind closed doors, but after three Australian players left the tournament last week, organisers sought to reassure the remaining foreign stars that they are "totally safe".

Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Kane Richardson left their IPL teams before the Australian government imposed a ban on arrivals from India.

A number of players, including Bangalore's Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams and Delhi Capitals spinner Axar Patel, tested positive for the virus before the league started on April 9.

Hemang Amin, interim chief operating officer at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), last week contacted all eight franchises to assure that their players and staff will remain safe from the country's coronavirus crisis and urged to play on for "humanity".

India on Monday reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for a 12th straight day.

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