Cricket fans are counting days as the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is right around the corner. However, the fate of the tournament might be in jeopardy as several Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players and staff members have been tested positive for COVID-19 virus including star pacer Deepak Chahar and batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad. The news wasn’t just a major blow just for CSK but for the whole tournament. IPL 2020 is scheduled to get underway on September 19. However, the official fixture of the competition isn’t still out which is raising even more questions over the future of the tournament. IPL 2020: 12 CSK Squad Members Test Positive for COVID-19, Entire Team, Including Players and Support Staff, in Quarantine Again.

Earlier, a BCCI official accepted that the announcement of official schedule is delayed due to novel coronavirus contracting CSK members. However, he also claimed that there isn’t any immediate threat to the tournament. “Adequate measures are in place to tackle the situation, and there is no immediate threat to the tournament. But the announcement of fixtures has been delayed because of this development,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by the Times of India. After Deepak Chahar, CSK Batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad Tests Positive for COVID-19 Virus.

Notably, CSK was the only team to organise a five-day conditioning camp in India before flying off to UAE. Upon their arrival in Dubai, all the CSK players and team members served a mandatory six-day quarantine period, and were set to resume practice on Friday. However, all the members, players and staff have been put in isolation again following the significant blow.

Chahar and Gaikwad’s participation in IPL 2020 is already in jeopardy. However, the duo also practised and travelled with the likes of MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav. Hence, opposition teams might not be pleased playing against the Men in Yellow.

Also, owing to the safety of other teams and players, Board of Control in India (BCCI) might well take a tough call on the tournament. On the brighter side, however, many major T20 leagues like Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Vitality T20 blast are already underway and are unaffected by novel coronavirus so far. So, it will be interesting to see if fans will enjoy the blitzes in IPL 2020 or the tournament will get cancelled.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2020 01:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).