File photo of Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith.
Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith and rest of the English and Australian players took COVID-19 tests on Friday and are currently under quarantine for next 36 hours before resuming training with the squad; pending negative test confirmation.
A Rajasthan Royals official revealed that Smith and rest of the players arriving from England immediately went quarantine after their arrival to the hotel late on Thursday night.
"The boys took the bus from the tarmac itself and headed straight to their rooms after arriving in the hotel. Smith and the boys underwent their test today morning and results are awaited. Once that comes and they test negative, they will join the rest of the squad and start training for the opener," the official told news agency ANI.
As the quarantine rules inside the bio-secure bubble might appear complex to many, the official explained the different set of safety protocols involving different modes of transport.
"The diktat is very clear. The boys have done their respective quarantine here and when we leave for Abu Dhabi, we get a test 48 hours prior and then move in. The six-day quarantine rule is for those who travelled from Dubai to Abu Dhabi by road and were at risk of contracting the virus. For the boys who joined us directly from the airport, they already moved into the bubble and didn't take the three-hour odd journey to Abu Dhabi. So, there is no cause of any further quarantine," the official pointed.
Royals’ official Twitter handle also shared a photo of Smith from the terrace of his hotel room.
After days of speculation, the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council on Thursday informed the franchises that the English and Australian players coming from the UK will only need to quarantine for 36 hours before they can join their teams and play in the league.
Rajasthan Royals are among the franchises who benefit the most from the Eng-Aus players arrival as their team core is built around names like Smith, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler and Tom Curran. With the quarantine period shortened for the overseas stars, who were already in a bio-secure bubble in England, they will be available for team’s first match against Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi on September 22.
The upcoming IPL is slated to be played from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE across three venues --Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
