Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Devdutt Padikkal, their highest run-getter in IPL 2020, has joined the team on 7 April after testing negative for COVID-19, the franchise confirmed.
“He’s healthy, feeling better and raring to go,” the franchise tweeted. Padikkal joined the bio-bubble in Chennai on Wednesday.
Padikkal had tested positive on 22 March in Bengaluru and was quarantining at home.
Padikkal was the leading run-scorer for the Royal Challengers in IPL 2020, his debut season, scoring 473 runs at an average of 31.53 and a strike rate of 124.80. Coming into this season, he had a stellar Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy too, where he tallied 218 runs in six innings at an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 134.56.
On the same day as Padikkal joined the RCB, their Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams tested positive for COVID-19 and has been following the protocols since.
RCB will play defending champions Mumbai Indians in the season opener on 9 April.
Apart from Sams, Delhi’s Axar Patel and Mumbai Indians’ Kiran More had also returned positive tests for COVID-19 and are all in isolation.
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