He is the first member of the overseas contingent to test positive in the 2021 IPL
Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey has become the latest member in the IPL bubble to have tested positive for Covid-19. ESPNcricinfo understands Hussey reported “borderline” symptoms but will stay in isolation for 10 days at the team hotel in Delhi.
Hussey is the first member of the overseas contingent to test positive in the 2021 IPL. Hussey’s positive test was detected on Tuesday, but the franchise conducted another test to confirm the results.
With Hussey having to serve his isolation period, he won’t be able to join the rest of the Australians, at least to begin with, when they relocate to either the Maldives or Sri Lanka in the coming days under a plan being put together between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. Australia’s borders are currently closed to anyone who has been in India in the last few weeks.
“We’ve spoken to Mike today. He is in good spirits,” Todd Greenberg, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, said. “His symptoms are relatively mild. He is in a stint of isolation in his hotel room…he has good support systems around him.”
Hussey is the third person from the Super Kings contingent to test positive after the Super Kings’ bowling coach L Balaji and a member of the franchise’s service staff. It is understood that Hussey was Balaji’s partner on the team bus. On Monday, the entire Super Kings contingent went into a week-long isolation, as per the IPL medical guidelines.
On Tuesday, the IPL had decided to postpone Wednesday’s scheduled match between the Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals. The 2021 IPL was postponed shortly after.
Apart from the Super Kings, there have been positive tests from at least three other franchises. From the Kolkata Knight Riders, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and seam bowler Sandeep Warrier tested positive, forcing their match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 3 to be rescheduled.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and the Delhi Capitals’ legspinner Amit Mishra also tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.
(With additional reporting by Raunak Kapoor and Andrew McGlashan)
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo
