IPL 2021: 8 groundsmen at the Wankhede Stadium test positive for COVID-19

Ahead of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) worries have piled on. As per reports, eight groundstaff members at the Wankhede Stadium have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the test conducted ahead of the cash-rich league. Mumbai is scheduled to host 10 league matches from April 10 to April 25.

The first game in Mumbai is on Saturday, April 10 between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and last season’s runners-up, Delhi Capitals (DC). If reports are to be believed, RT-PCR tests of 19 ground-staff members were conducted over the last week. Out of the eight, three were confirmed to have gotten the coronavirus during the tests conducted on March 26.

Five more tested positive for the virus on Friday after the tests on April 1, Sportstar reported. However, it’s yet not known whether the rest of the ground-staffers were isolated after the first round of testing found a few being tested for COVID-19. It remains to be seen how the BCCI reacts to the situation with less than a week remaining for the start of the event.

A lot to work on for BCCI ahead of the IPL

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) may rope in groundsmen from its other two venues- Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana at Kandivali and Sharad Pawar Academy at Bandra-Kurla Complex. The world’s richest cricket board may also be forced to rethink its decision of hosting the IPL games in Mumbai.

The matches in Mumbai would take place behind closed doors after the COVID-19 spike in Maharashtra. The state government has been imposing restrictions to handle the situation. Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru are the other five venues in the tournament.

Last year, the IPL had to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the rise of coronavirus cases in India. After a lot of deliberations, the BCCI decided to bring the tournament back to India.

The auction took place in February in Chennai. A total of 60 matches are scheduled for IPL 2021 with the final set to take place on Sunday, May 30 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.