The Board of Control for Cricket in India has put the announcement of fixtures of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League on hold after reports emerged that multiple members of the Chennai Super Kings contingent tested positive for Covid-19.
The BCCI believe that the positive cases in the CSK camp don’t pose a threat to the IPL season but have decided to scrutinise the franchise for holding a preparatory camp in India before traveling to the UAE.
“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 BCCI source told The Times of India.
Despite cautions from the Indian board against holding a camp in India, CSK were the only franchise to do so.
“Senior BCCI officials had cautioned the CSK management about the risks of holding such a camp in India,” the BCCI source added.
CSK, however, felt it was necessary for its players to get fit after a long layoff, especially with plenty of its players out of action for a long time.
“There are many players who were coming from a long layoff. 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 CSK official said.
However, CSK expect their matches to take place according to the provisional schedule. MS Dhoni and Co are set to face Mumbai Indians on September 19 in the season opener.