It’s been two weeks since IPL teams started landing in the UAE and while we still don’t have the schedule of the tournament – that’s set to start in less than 3 weeks – there has been enough happening to keep all parties busy.
Virat and Anushka announced their pregnancy even as Sharma has accompanied her husband to Dubai for the IPL and celebrated their good news with his RCB team-mates by cutting a cake and kicking-off the team’s season following their 6 days of compulsory quarantine.
Gayle Courts Trouble
Chris Gayle dodged trouble after attending Usain Bolt’s birthday party back home, but tested negative for COVID-19 before travelling to Dubai. However, he courted more trouble after landing by taking part in a photo shoot where there were no visible precautions for COVID-19 being taken with not many around Gayle wearing masks. Gayle posted pictures of the shoot on his Instagram and when he was later questioned about the decision, his Instagram post read - ‘What is Chris Gayle doing over there?!?
Me: Looks like he’s doing what the phuck he wants!’
His IPL team Kings XI Punjab’s stand on the matter was that he took part in the shoot before joining the team in Dubai and has since entered into a 6 day compulsory quarantine during which he will be tested thrice.
COVID Cases in CSK Team
On Friday, which was supposed to be the day Chennai Super Kings ended their quarantine period and stepped out for training, reports emerged that over 10 members of their contingent had tested positive for coronavirus.
The BCCI on Saturday confirmed that 13 personnel, including two unnamed players, had tested positive for COVID-19 from the 1,988 RT-PCR COVID tests that were conducted between 20 and 28 August, since the teams started landing in the UAE.
In a statement, the BCCI said: "Thirteen personnel have tested positive of which two are players. These groups include players, support staff, team management, BCCI staff, IPL operational team, hotel and ground transport staff. As per the IPL 2020 Health and Safety Protocols, testing on all participants will be conducted regularly throughout the IPL 2020 season.
Raina’s Family Suffers Tragedy
Just as news of CSK’s cases came in, Chennai Super Kings’ camp suffered a major setback with Suresh Raina pulling out of the IPL and returning home to India due to personal reasons.
While reports suggested many reasons for Rain’s decision, his first statement since returning to India has been about the attack on his extended family in their village in Punjab.
In his Twitter statement, Raina said: "What happened to my family is (sic) Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my bua & both my cousins had sever (sic) injuries. Unfortunately my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua (aunt) is still very very critical & is on life support," he said.
Raina's 58-year-old uncle succumbed to fatal injuries sustained during an attack by armed robbers in a Punjab town. A group of four members of the notorious 'Kale Kachhewala' gang had attacked the family while asleep on the terrace of their residence, police said.
The incident occurred in Thariyal village near Madhopur in Pathankot district on the night of August 19. The robbers were armed with lethal weapons.
"Till date we don't know what exactly had happened that night & who did this. I request @PunjabPoliceInd to look into this matter. We at least deserve to know who did this heinous act to them. Those criminals should not be spared to commit more crimes. @capt_amarinder @CMOPb," he added, tagging Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)