Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams is set to join Royal Challengers Bangalore after recovering from COVID-19. On Sunday, RCB will play against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2021.
The all-rounder from Australia tested positive on April 7 and was immediately put into isolation at a medical facility. Sams was traded to RCB from Delhi Capitals ahead of this season of the IPL. He arrived from Australia on April 3, and his tests then turned out negative.
However, on April 7, when he was tested again, it came out to be positive. Another RCB player, Devdutt Padikkal was also tested positive ahead of the season, but he has recovered completely and even featured in the last game for his side.
In the statement released by RCB, it was mentioned that Daniel Sams joined the bubble of RCB players on Saturday. The statement read that Daniel Sams is out of quarantine and has joined the RCB bio-bubble after two consecutive negative reports for COVID-19. “RCB medical team was in constant touch with Sams and has declared him fit to join the team after adhering to all the BCCI protocols,” the statement further read.
Earlier, Padikkal had to miss the first match of the season against Mumbai Indians due to the COVID-19 protocol set by BCCI. Sams also missed the first two matches, but now he is eligible to be brought into the team. He can replace Dan Christian, who hasn’t delivered a game-changing performance so far. Sams joins the team after attending 10 days of mandatory quarantine.
According to the BCCI’s Health and Safety Protocols for IPL 2021, any participant testing positive for COVID-19 will have to be isolated for a minimum of 10 days. As a result, Sams missed the first two matches for RCB.
RCB has won both their matches till now, which might make Kohli continue with the same eleven. However, bringing in Sams would add to the balance of the team. He can bowl in the access of 140kmph and is capable of swinging the ball upfront. Moreover, his heroics with the bat in T20I cricket for Australia in the recent past will push coach Mike Hesson to include him in the team.
