IPL 2021: BCCI has appointed a central COVID-19 testing agency in the UAE

New Delhi : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed a central COVID-19 testing agency in the UAE to ensure test reports of every player and support staff in the second leg of the league reaches the board along with the respective franchises.

Speaking to ANI, a source in the know of developments said while earlier teams were allowed to have respective testing agencies, the BCCI has appointed VPS healthcare to carry out all COVID-19 tests this time and all reports are sent not just to the teams, but also to the board.
“The BCCI felt it was important to have a central testing agency as that would help in keeping a tab on all testing taking place as also the results of tests would be immediately available to the board. There will be no delay in transmission of information in this process,” the source said.

Interestingly, with the BCCI managing the bio bubbles this time, it is keeping a track of body temperature of all players and officials heading to the ground on match day.

“The BCCI has not only asked the teams to keep a check on the body temperature of every person in the bubble, but also asked for the data to be handed to the board on match day. Every franchise needs to send in the data to the BCCI on the day of the match before leaving for the ground from the team hotel,” an official of a franchise told ANI.

The 14th season, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed last Sunday in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Mumbai Indians. So far, there has been only one COVID-19 case in the second half of the league with SRH pacer T Natarajan testing positive.

The BCCI came up with a 46-page health advisory that lays down all the pointers that everyone associated with the IPL needs to follow in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the league.