Covid Concerns Increase In IPL 2022 As Another DC Overseas Player Tests Covid Positive; Reports

After Mitchell Marsh tested positive for Covid-19 on April 18, another Delhi Capitals overseas player has got infected, hours ahead of their match against Punjab Kings at the Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday, says a report in ESPNCricinfo.

The latest positive result takes the tally of Covid-19 positive cases in the Delhi camp to six.

The report says that the unnamed overseas player had tested positive for Covid-19 after a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) was conducted on Wednesday morning. It added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will organise another round of testing, which will decide whether Delhi can take the field against Punjab on Wednesday evening.

"It is understood that the organisers have kept open the option of rescheduling the match, which on Tuesday was shifted from Pune to Mumbai. The IPL has also asked the Capitals contingent to conduct another round of tests on the franchise's personnel, and the fate of today's match might be decided when those results are available. The Kings players, meanwhile, are understood to be leaving for the venue, which could suggest that the match will go ahead as scheduled," said the report.

Earlier, on Tuesday, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said that the match between Delhi and Punjab had been shifted from MCA Stadium in Pune to Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai to avoid any further incident due to any undetected case during a long-distance bus journey in a closed environment.

The change in venue was caused due to Marsh, physiotherapist Patrick Farhart, sports massage therapist Chetan Kumar, team doctor Dr Abhijit Salvi and social media content team member Akash Mane testing positive for Covid-19. Farhart was the first to test positive for Covid-19 on April 15, followed by Kumar on April 16. Then, on April 18, Marsh, Dr Salvi and Mane returned Covid-19 positive results.

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"The Covid-positive cases are under isolation and medical observation. They will be tested on Day 6 and 7 and subject to both the tests being negative they will be re-integrated into the Delhi Capitals bio-secured bubble," read Shah's statement. Previously, Delhi Capitals on Monday confirmed that Marsh had tested positive for Covid-19 following which he had been admitted to a hospital.