Chennai Super Kings pacer KM Asif had become the first player to have breached the bio-secure bubble protocols in place in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2020, according to a report in Indian Express. Asif then underwent a six-day quarantine period as per rules and is back training with the team.
The newspaper reported that the incident happened when Asif misplaced his hotel room key. He then went to the reception to get a replacement, which is a breach of protocol as the reception doesn’t come inside the designated bubble for the team.
“It was an unintentional mistake but rules had to be followed. He underwent six days of quarantine and has now resumed practice with the team,” Indian Express quoted an IPL source.
Asif, the pacer from Kerala, has played two IPL matches for CSK picking up three wickets. Both the matches came in 2018.
Meanwhile, the newspaper reported that teams would pay a huge price for bio-secure bubble breaches. An offence for the first time will result in a six-day re-quarantine without pay, while the second breach will lead to a re-quarantine coupled with a one-match suspension after quarantine. If a player breaches protocol for the third time, he will be removed from the tournament without the team getting a replacement.
CSK already had issues coming into the IPL season, with 13 of their members including two players testing positive for COVID-19. They were taken to a separate hotel and had to undergo further quarantine befroe being allowed to join the bubble again. Apart from this drawback, CSK also are without the services of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh as both are away for personal reasons.
CSK are currently last in the points table, having won only one of their three matches. They play Sunrisers Hyderabad next on Friday.
