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The covid-19 threat for IPL 2021: RCB’s Padikkal becomes latest victim

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Royal Challengers Bangalore are in all sorts of trouble and that too at the start of the season itself as its young opening batsman Devdutt Padikkal has tested positive for the dreaded Covid-19 virus. Padikkal according to TOI is now isolating in a separate facility and is in the race of being fit before the start of the first game for RCB on 9th April against Mumbai Indians. 

Although there is no official confirmation as yet from the RCB unit, if reports are found to be true, then according to the BCCI rules regarding Covid-19, no player could be on the field before days of rest after having tested positive. 

Earlier Nitish Rana of Kolkata Knight Riders and Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals too tested positive for the virus. While Rana is now back into the bubble after returning negative tests, the Gujarat born Capitals player is quarantining. 

Padikkal had been in sublime form in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy scoring 737 runs in seven innings with the help of four hundreds and three fifties and was only behind Prithvi Shaw of Mumbai in the list of top run-getters.

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Nationwide lockdown imposed in Bangladesh, casts doubt on team’s Sri Lanka tour

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I asked Dravid, who is this guy?: When Billings saw young Pant destroying Morris and Coulter-Nile in nets

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