Sunrisers Hyderabad player T Natarajan tests positive for coronavirus

Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer T Natarajan has tested positive for COVID-19 but the team's IPL match against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday will go ahead as scheduled, the BCCI said. Left-arm pacer Natarajan, who is coming back from a knee surgery, has been isolated along with six close contacts which also include out of favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar.

Six close contacts -- Natarajan'steam-mate Vijay Shankar, net bowler Periyasamy Ganesan, Team Manager Vijay Kumar, Physiotherapist Shyam Sundar J, Doctor Anjana Vannan and Logistics Manager Tushar Khedkar -- have been kept in isolation as well.

"The rest of the contingent including the close contacts underwent RT-PCR tests at 5AM local time this morning and the test reports are negative. As a result, tonight's game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals will go ahead at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai," said a release by the IPL on Wednesday.

Natarajan was set to make a comeback to cricket in the second leg of the IPL 2021. He had sustained a knee injury and had subsequent surgery, which kept him out of action since appearing for the franchise in two matches of the first half of IPL 2021 in April. The development is a major blow to SRH, who could not avail his services in the first leg due to injury.

The 30-year-old Natarajan has 20 IPL wickets from 24 matches that he has played.

The IPL resumed here on Sunday after it had to be halted in May due to multiple COVID cases in its bio-bubble when the event was being staged in India.

As per the IPL's Standard Operating Procedure, Natarajan will now have to isolate for 10 days and test negative twice before being allowed back into the bubble.

Earlier on May 4, IPL 2021 was postponed in India after Wriddhiman Saha of SRH, DC's Amit Mishra, KKR bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy, CSK's bowling and batting coaches, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Michael Hussey, tested positive for Covid-19 at the height of second wave in India.

The league was suspended once Saha's report came out, adding to the three cases that had been detected before that.

A league source told PTI that the organisers are no longer using a mobile app to track close contacts, which was a norm during the last edition in the UAE, and are relying on the afflicted person's inputs to monitor the spread.

"We don't know but that contact tracing app was a very good way to track bubble breaches, if any. I think this is a cost-cutting measure by the BCCI," the source said.

The tournament resumed after a break of almost four months in the UAE with strict bio-bubble measures on September 19 with Chennai Super Kings beating defending champions Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in Dubai.

With inputs from PTI