On Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) went on to officially confirm in a press release that as many as 13 people have tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in UAE for the IPL 2020. Two among these are players, the release stated. Recent reports have suggested that all the people are from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) contingent.

BCCI’s official release comes just a day after several members from CSK contingent members tested positive for Covid-19. On Saturday it was learned that another player from the CSK team had tested positive. That news came just hours after the franchise informed on Twitter that senior CSK cricketer and former India all-rounder Suresh Raina had returned back to India citing ‘personal reasons’ and would not take any further part in this season’s tournament, which is scheduled to begin from September 19.

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Here is the full statement from the BCCI:

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has put in place stringent health and safety protocols for the Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 Season, which is scheduled to start from September 19th in the UAE.”

It further added, “Accordingly, upon landing in the UAE, all the participants have followed a mandatory testing and quarantine program. A total of 1,988 RT-PCR COVID-19 tests was carried out between August 20th – 28th across all participant groups in the UAE. These groups include Players, Support Staff, Team Management, BCCI Staff, IPL Operational team, Hotel, and ground transport Staff.”

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BCCI further stated, “13 personnel have tested positive of which 2 are players. All the affected person as well as their close contacts are asymptomatic and have been isolated from other team members. They are being monitored by the IPL Medical Team. As per the IPL 2020 Health and Safety Protocols, testing on all participants will be conducted regularly throughout the IPL 2020 Season.”