As IPL 2020 Is Set To Begin Next Week, Delhi Capitals' Member Tests COVID Positive

Delhi Capitals (DC) revealed Sunday that one of its members tested positive for coronavirus during the third round of testing. This is a setback as the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is due to begin Sept. 19.

The 13th edition of the IPL was initially scheduled to take place in March but was postponed amid the pandemic. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to shift the cash-rich tournament to the UAE, where all the matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

"Delhi Capitals Assistant Physiotherapist has tested positive for COVID-19. He was going through his mandatory quarantine, and had tested negative for his first two tests conducted on arrival in Dubai, and tested positive for the third one," said the Delhi-based franchise, as reported by Indian media outlet Hindustan Times.

DC has assured their assistant physiotherapist had not met the team and therefore had not come in contact with the players or the other members of the support staff before adding the physiotherapist is currently at the IPL Isolation Facility in Dubai for the next 14 days. For him to join the DC squad, he will have to produce two negative reports.

On Sunday, the IPL committee also released the fixtures for the round-robin games of the IPL 2020. In all, Abu Dhabi will host 20 round-robin games, Dubai 24 and Sharjah 12. MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening fixture of Sept. 19 in Abu Dhabi.

According to the IPL’s official website, where the schedule was announced, Mumbai and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play a majority of their games (eight each) in Abu Dhabi. David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will play eight out of their 14 group matches in Dubai, while CSK, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), DC, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will play seven each in Dubai. Only 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals’ matches are more spread out – it will play six out of its 14 matches in Dubai, five in Abu Dhabi, and three in Sharjah.

DC are among the three sides that are yet to win the IPL, the other two being Virat Kohli's RCB and KXIP.