4 Mumbai Players Including Sarfaraz Khan Test COVID Positive Ahead Of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy

The Mumbai senior cricket team suffered a huge setback ahead of the Indian domestic season-opening Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2021 as four of their players tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday morning.

The Mumbai squad was at the domestic airport in the city set to depart to Guwahati for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will kick off on November 4. The Mumbai team is being led by India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and coached by Amol Muzumdar.

Confirming the developments an MCA official told TOI: “As per the BCCI norms, we’d conducted Covid-19 tests on the players yesterday, before they will join a bubble in Guwahati. Four of our players tested positive, and the reports came a day later when the players were at the airport.

“All the four players have been sent home and will thus miss the league stage of the tournament, while the rest of the players, who all tested negative, have left for the event. They will now only be available for the knockouts (if Mumbai make it to that stage). We’ll announce four replacements soon.”

We’ll Announce The Name Of The Replacements Soon: Mumbai Chief Selector Salil Ankola

Mumbai is slated to begin their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy campaign against Karnataka on November 4. They have been placed in the Elite group B along with Services, Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Baroda, apart from Karnataka.

Mumbai chief selector Salil Ankola also told the Times of India that four players testing positive for COVID-19 was a huge blow to the team, and they will announce replacements as soon as they clear the RT-PCR tests. The 20-man squad has now been reduced to 16 players.

“This is a big blow to us. All these four players are our top-line players, who would’ve probably played in the first XI. However, our preparation has been thorough, with many players getting a chance to prove themselves in match situations.

“I’m sure we’ll find decent replacements. We’ll announce the name of the replacements as soon as they clear the RT-PCR tests,” Mumbai chief selector and former India fast bowler Salil Ankola told TOI.

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