COVID concerns start rising in IPL

Southampton: Breaking the deafening silence over the conduct of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE, Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood on Monday admitted he is "concerned" about the COVID-19 outbreak in his IPL team Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The IPL moved to the UAE to beat the Covid-19 restriction in India. But with three weeks to go for the start of the tournament, 13 COVID-19 positive cases were reported from the CSK contingent, including two players.

"It's obviously a little bit of a concern," Hazlewood said. "We have a group WhatsApp with all the information coming through."

The fast bowler is in England on national duty for Australia for a limited-overs series, which goes on till September 4-16.The 29-year-old, who along with David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch is scheduled to travel to the UAE after the tour of England.

The bowlers said there will be discussions with Cricket Australia (CA) if the number of positive cases in the IPL increases.

Those who have tested positive in the CSK contingent have been isolated in a separate hotel. As per BCCI's standard operating procedure (SOP), all those who test positive are mandated to go through an additional 14-day quarantine. They can enter the bio-secure bubble only after returning negative in tests to be conducted after the extended isolation.

Hazlewood said, "I assume those things (Covid conerns) will come up if cases are still happening closer to the date, then we'll touch base with Cricket Australia (CA) and have a chat."

CA has been extra cautious in its approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board has restricted its players from using sweat from the head, face and neck to shine the ball during the tour of England to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.