Will CSK play the opening match against MI? Details

In a positive news for fans, all players of CSK, who were quarantined after 13 members of the franchise tested positive for COVID-19 last week, have tested negative for the virus after going through another round of testing yesterday.

As a result of the infection, the BCCI announced in a statement earlier that the release of the IPL 2020 schedule had been delayed. “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 source had reportedly stated.  Among the players, Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad had contracted the virus. It has now been reported that the BCCI has unofficially informed the CSK players that the team can start preparing for their maiden match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) scheduled to take place on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An official announcement regarding the complete schedule of the tournament is expected soon.

Speaking about their first match, a CSK source reportedly informed a news agency, “It’s not a problem at all. We will be happy to play game 1 if we are asked to.” Meanwhile, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said on Thursday, “The official fixtures would be announced on Friday.”