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Four Mumbai players chosen for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament (SMAT) have been withdrawn from the squad after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led squad was set to leave for Guwahati on Wednesday to take part in SMAT 2021/22 when the RT-PCR reports of the four players - Sarfaraz Khan, Shams Mulani, Prashant Solanki and Sairaj Patil - returned positive results.
The four players were sent back home from the Mumbai airport, while the rest of the squad members were allowed to board the flight.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, the players who have tested positive have been asked to self-isolate for seven days. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials are likely to send replacement players soon.
The Mumbai squad had been practicing at the Wankhede Stadium ahead of their scheduled departure. An MCA official was quoted as saying by the website:
"This is the reality of the times. We cannot avoid Covid even after taking best possible measures. The mandatory RT-PCR test was done a day before and the players were told not to go to the airport if any one of them is positive. But they still went. On seeing the positive report, they were sent back from the airport. The selectors have been informed and they will pick the replacements."
Rahane, Shaw among big names in Mumbai squad for SMAT 2021/22
Earlier this month, Mumbai selectors announced India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane as the captain of the team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. This year’s edition of the domestic T20 tournament will take place from November 4-22.
While Rahane will lead the squad, opening batter Prithvi Shaw will be his deputy. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aditya Tare and Shivam Dube are also part of the Mumbai squad.
Mumbai have been placed in the Elite B Group with Karnataka, Bengal, Baroda, Chhattisgarh and Services for SMAT 2021/22.
Matches will be played in Lucknow, Baroda, Delhi, Vijayawada and Haryana besides Guwahati. Players have been asked to report a week in advance so that they can undergo a five-day quarantine ahead of the tournament.
Mumbai will begin their campaign in SMAT 2021/22 by taking on Karnataka on November 4.
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