Devdutt Padikkal tests positive for COVID-19

RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday making him the third IPL player to have contracted the novel coronavirus after Axar Patel and Nitish Rana.

The left handed RCB opener is now expected to miss at least two games with RCB playing Mumbai Indians on 9th April to kick start the IPL 2021 edition. On Saturday, Delhi Capitals’ all-rounder Axar Patel also tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai. Meanwhile the RCB unit is in Chennai and are preparing for their first league match.

Padikkal had a memorable debut season with RCB scoring 473 runs in 15 matches at an average of 31.53. He hit 5 half centuries and was the top run getter for his team which has the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers!

Padikkal also had a prolific record in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he scored a total of 218 runs at an average of 43.60 in six matches for Karnataka. Further, in Vijay Hazare Trophy, Padikkal piled up a mountain of 737 runs by scoring them at a towering average of 147.40 in seven matches.

The 20-year-old left-handed opener is fresh from scoring 4 consecutive List A centuries and now has a List A Average of 86.68 in 20 matches. With Virat Kohli suggesting he would open the innings with Devdutt Padikkal this season – it was looking all great for the morale of RCB.

As per the BCCI norms –  the person tested positive for COVID-19 is to be isolated in a designated area outside the bio-secure environment for a minimum of ten days from the day on which the sample which resulted in the positive report was taken.