Devdutt Padikkal in quarantine at home after testing positive for Covid-19

Devdutt Padikkal, the Royal Challengers Bangalore opener, is in quarantine at his home in Bengaluru after testing positive for Covid-19 on March 22.

Padikkal, 20, is "feeling well" and will "join the RCB bio-bubble once his RT-PCR tests are negative," the franchise said in a statement. "The RCB medical team is in touch with Devdutt ensuring his safety and well-being." The rest of the squad is in the biosecure bubble in Chennai.

The news means Padikkal is all but set to miss the Royal Challengers Bangalore's first game of IPL 2021, the tournament opener against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai on April 9. The Royal Challengers' second match is on April 14, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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.

Padikkal's is the third case of an IPL player testing positive come to light. Apart from Padikkal, the Delhi Capitals' Axar Patel and the Kolkata Knight Riders' Nitish Rana too have tested positive for Covid-19.

Patel had checked into the team hotel in Mumbai on March 28 after arriving with a negative Covid-19 report, but returned a positive test after that. Rana, meanwhile, has tested negative and joined the team training sessions after an extended 12-day quarantine, also in Mumbai.