Royal Challengers Bangalore excitedly announced the return of their star opener Devdutt Padikkal to the squad on Wednesday, moments after the news of him tested negative two times broke out.
In a clipping released by the franchise on social media, Devdutt Padikkal was seen telling about himself being back to healthy and feeling better. The youngster mentioned being tested positive for coronavirus a couple of weeks back. He showed his gratitude for all the wishes and messages after recovering from the illness.
Bold Diaries: Devdutt Padikkal joins the RCB camp after testing negative for COVID-19. He’s healthy, feeling better and raring to go. Here’s a message to all RCB fans from Devdutt.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/BtVszNABJW
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2021
The franchise was delighted with Padikkal’s return as he adds significant value to the batting lineup. However, the youngster is likely to miss the opener against Mumbai Indians due to his mandatory quarantine at the team hotel as per the guidelines of BCCI.
The young talent, who was acquired by RCB in 2019 at just Rs 20 lakh, was influential in the previous season having made 473 runs in just 15 games. The opener is expected to continue with his masterful performance who boasts a stunning strike rate of almost 125, along with five fifties in just 15 games under his name.
RCB dealt another covid related blow
Meanwhile, RCB dealt with another blow when their bowler all-rounder Daniel Sams tested positive for Covid-19, who previously tested negative in his first test. The Australian will be under isolation for at least 10 days as per BCCI’s Standard Operating Procedure.
With the rise in cases within the IPL franchises, there are growing clouds of doubt surrounding IPL 2021. Previously, Axar Patel and Nitish Rana were tested positive for coronavirus. Mumbai Indians’ talent scout Kiran More was also tested positive for the virus. Numerous support staff of IPL 2021 have also been tested positive, raising concerns about the tournament being organised smoothly in India.