Royal Challengers Bangalore’s opener Devdutt Paddikal was diagnosed corona positive a few days back.
After testing negative, the southpaw joined his team’s bio-bubble once again which didn’t go down well with the other franchises.
The left-hander’s entry into the RCB’S Bio-Bubble without complying with the norms set by BCCI was evidently not liked by the other franchises, which hardly comes as a surprise.
According to the rules set by BCCI, Padikkal should have spent seven days in quarantine before being allowed to enter the team’s bio-bubble. After testing positive for COVID-19, Padikkal stayed in home quarantine for a few days and came directly to join RCB camp, making IPL teams unhappy. According to the report by Cricbuzz, franchises are disappointed and unsatisfied with such preferential treatment for Virat Kohli’s team.
If home quarantine is allowed, then many of our team members would have preferred that.
After testing positive for Covid-19 on March 22, Devdutt went straight into home quarantine. After recovering, the Southpaw entered the team bubble in Chennai on April 7. Paddikal reached Chennai after driving down by a car from Bangalore and was directly allowed to enter bio-bubble after two negative tests, which is actually against the guidelines laid down by BCCI.
RCB’s spokesperson has denied all allegations made by other franchises and claimed that the team has complied to all the set rules and regulations. However, the rules laid down by BCCI tells some different story altogether. The rules clearly state that the player after arrival has to go into 7 days quarantine. He can’t get into any group activity, meet anyone and is required to stay in isolation. After the quarantine period is over, the player needs to undergo Covid-19 tests and only after 3 negative tests, he will be allowed to join the team once again.
In Padikkal’s case, these norms have not been violated that has made some of the other stakeholders furious. However, Padikkal is not included in the playing XI for RCB’s game against Mumbai Indians and according to the information coming in from RCB’s camp, he might have to sit out for the next game as well.
In the first game of the 2021 season, RCB defeated the defending champions. Virat Kohli won the toss after a long time and asked Mumbai Indians to bat. Harshal Patel’s incredible bowling restricted the Mumbaikars to just 159. In reply, RCB chased the total down on the final ball of the match.
Due to the bio-bubble protocol and quarantine rules, Mumbai Indians wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock was not included in the playing eleven as he has recently joined the team after playing two ODIs against Pakistan. In the second match of the 14th edition of the IPL, which will be between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals, ace pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje might not feature in the playing eleven because of the same reason Quinton missed the first game.
With COVID restriction in place and teams forced to adjust according to them, it is evident that frustration will creep in if rules are not followed by one franchise, and BCCI allows them to move along unnoticed. It would be interesting to see how things pan out in the ongoing IPL with the COVID19 situation worsening in different parts of India. Earlier, ten ground staff members at the Wankhede Stadium were also diagnosed COVID positive, but the BCCI decided to move along as per schedule.
