IPL 2021: All Rajasthan Royals team members depart Delhi with negative COVID-19 tests
In a positive development, all members of the Rajasthan Royals have safely departed New Delhi after returning with negative COVID-19 tests. Most of the team have also reached their homes safely.
The franchise shared the news via its social media handle on Saturday. They also thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), frontline workers and the other parties involved for their cooperation in the last few days.
"We are pleased to be able to share that all our players, support staff and management have departed Delhi with negative tests, and the majority are already home. A big thanks to the @BCCI, all frontline workers, hotel staff and other franchises for their support," the Rajasthan Royals posted on their Twitter handle.
The Rajasthan Royals was one of the teams most affected by the COVID-19 virus inside the tournament's bio-secure bubble. Two of their key overseas players, Liam Livingstone and Andrew Tye left midway through IPL 2021, citing bubble fatigue and concerns about the impact of the virus in the country.
They were only left with Chris Morris, Jos Buttler, Mustafizur Rehman and David Miller in their overseas contingent when the tournament was postponed on May 4. All these players have already reached their home countries and are now undergoing the mandatory quarantine.
Morris revealed the atmosphere in the Rajasthan Royals camp this week
Earlier this week, Rajasthan Royals' star all-rounder Morris talked about the 'chaotic' mood in the camp before and after the tournament's postponement. He said 'alarm bells' went off within the team and many players were in panic when they found out about the situation.
“I was chatting to our team doctor, whose room was across the hallway from my mine in the hotel and Kumar (Sangakarra) came around the corner and drew his finger across his throat. It was then that we knew it was over. And it was chaos!" Morris told IOL.
"The England guys especially were panicking because they needed to isolate in hotels in England first, and apparently, there weren’t any rooms,” added Morris.
Chris Morris played his role in the Rajasthan Royals team to perfection in the first half of IPL 2021. The all-rounder picked up 14 wickets and 48 runs in 7 games.