Delhi Capitals dealt with another blow on Wednesday after the team’s South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje tested positive for COVID19. Nortje entered the hotel quarantine with a negative result but returned a positive result in his 2nd Covid-19 test.
Anrich Nortje tests Positive for COVID19
ANI reported one of their sources in the know of developments saying, “He came in with a negative report, but has unfortunately tested positive now while undergoing quarantine.”
The BCCI SOP says a player/support staff, who tests positive for COVID-19, must isolate in the designated area outside the bio-secure environment for a minimum of 10 days from the first day of symptoms or the date of collection of the sample which resulted in a positive RT-PCR report, whichever is earlier.
Anrich Nortje has been tested positive for COVID19 while he was in quarantine. An official confirmation still awaits from the Delhi Capitals.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 14, 2021
Rishabh Pant replaces Shreyas Iyer
Rishabh Pant, who replaced injured Shreyas Iyer as captain ahead of the season, led Delhi Capitals to a win against MS Dhoni‘s Chennai Super Kings in the opener on Saturday (April 10).
Chris Woakes and uncapped Avesh Khan produced impressive performances, claiming two wickets each, against CSK. However, Nortje’s further absence could hurt the momentum of the Delhi side.
Apart from DC all-rounder Axar, Mumbai Indians’ scout and wicketkeeping consultant Kiran More, as well as RCB’s Daniel Sams and Devdutt Paddikal had tested positive. However, Padikkal has since linked up with the squad in Chennai after a negative COVID-19 result.
Nortje was one of the standout performers for the Delhi-based franchise last year, picking up 22 wickets from 16 matches. He also broke the record of the fastest delivery in the history of IPL, clocking a speed of 156.22 km/h during a league match against Rajasthan Royals in the last edition.
