Kingston: West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle has tested negative for Covid-19, and as a result, he will be joining the Kings XI Punjab squad.
Couple of days ago. 1st Covid-19 test. Before travel I need 2 negative test, Gayle wrote in an Instagram story. ‘The last one went a bit too far in my nose. Phew. The result was negative, he wrote in another story.
Several media reports said Gayle had attended the birthday celebrations of sprinter Usain Bolt. The sprinter on Monday released a video on Twitter, saying that he is currently under home isolation and is waiting for his Covid-19 test result.
Kings XI’s Indian contingent had arrived in the UAE last week and are currently in the midst of their six-day quarantine. The IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 – November 10 in the UAE across three venues –Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
All eight IPL franchises have reached UAE for taking part in the upcoming tournament. As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), the BCCI has already told the franchises that the players have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period after arriving in the UAE.
As per SOPs issued by the BCCI, the players have to undergo RT-PCR tests on Day 1, 3, and 6 of the quarantine phase and then they will be entering the bio-bubble provided they test negative on all three occasions.
The final match of the 2020 edition is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament. This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
Gayle is the highest run-scorer in T20s and he last played competitive cricket for Chattogram Challengers at the Bangladesh Premier League in January. He was slated to be part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020, but he opted out of his stint with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots due to personal reasons. Gayle has played 24 matches for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, managing to score 858 runs with his highest score being 104 not out in the 2018 edition.