Players Under Watch As IPL 2021 Starts Amid Covid Scare

Cricket Image for Players Under Watch As IPL 2021 Starts Amid Covid Scare (Image Source: Twitter)

Cricket chiefs have stepped up surveillance of star players ahead of Friday's launch of the Indian Premier League(IPL) amid a rapid surge in coronavirus cases.

The world's richest Twenty20 tournament starts with a gala game between reigning champions Mumbai Indians and Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore in an empty stadium in Chennai.

All eight teams are in strict bio-bubbles and testing has been increased as case numbers have skyrocketed to more than 130,000 a day since players arrived to prepare for the eight-week spectacle.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed bubble integrity managers to police each team.

The games are to be held in six cities and all players are also being monitored through tracking devices, team officials said.

"We are travelling in chartered planes and have created foolproof bio-security environment, so everything's under control," Chennai Super Kings chief executive Kasi Viswanathan told AFP, who added teams are also getting Bluetooth monitoring devices.

Four players including Indian spin star Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals) and Australia's Daniel Sams (Royal Challengers Bangalore) have tested positive.

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