Left-handed opener Devdutt Padikkal will miss at least two games for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming IPL 2021. He has contracted the novel coronavirus and was tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

On Saturday, Delhi Capitals’ (DC) spinner Axar Patel was tested positive for the coronavirus. While the DC camp is based in Mumbai, the RCB team members are in Chennai, where the Virat Kohli-led side is scheduled to play the tournament opener against Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 9.

Padikkal was the leading run-scorer for RCB last season in the UAE after making his IPL debut. He was also in sublime form during the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy and emerged as the second-highest run-scorer, amassing 737 runs from seven matches at a phenomenal average of 147.40.

The 20-year-old is currently undergoing quarantine after testing positive. The sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai and the Maharashtra Government’s restrictions have created troubles for the BCCI and the IPL Governing Body. They are now even looking for a backup option as Mumbai’s COVID-19 situation is alarming and may worsen if the bio-bubble protocols are not followed correctly.

“Let’s wait and watch the next 48 hours. Until then, everybody needs to strictly respect the protocols, increase the testing and not break the bio-bubbles. If they follow the norms, things will definitely be fine,” sources, close to the development, were quoted as saying to TOI.