Eight ground staff members at the Wankhede Stadium have tested COVID-19 positive during the tests conducted ahead of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) 2021 edition. The Wankhede is scheduled to host 10 league games from April 10 to 25.
All the 19 ground staff members at the Wankhede Stadium underwent RT-PCR tests over the last week. While three were confirmed to have contracted the virus during the tests conducted on March 26, five more test reports conducted on April 1 returned positive on Friday.
It could not be ascertained whether the remaining ground staffs were isolated after a few had been infected during the first round of testing.
The development comes barely a week before the IPL 2021 is scheduled to begin with defending champion Mumbai Indians scheduled to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on April 9.
At present, five teams are practicing in Wankhede and at this stage of time this news is a matter of some serious concern for the BCCI.
According to the IPL guidelines, the initial matches were to be played in closed stadiums without spectators, later the fans would be decided on the entry of the corona in view of the situation, but in view of the increasing cases in the country, it is unlikely. The first match here is to be played between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings on 9 April. A total of 10 matches are scheduled to be held from April 10 to April 25 at the Wankhede Stadium.
Keeping in mind the pace of Corona in Maharashtra, the BCCI may also consider shifting the venue from Mumbai to elsewhere. If further such types of cases were registered, then most probably the BCCI will have to postpone the series.
