2 COVID-19 positive cases detected ahead of CPL 2021 start 

The 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will start tomorrow (August 26). A contingent of 255 people have arrived in St Kitts and Nevis where the entirety of the tournament will be contested. Upon arrival, the personnel underwent a mandatory test which detected two positive cases.

Once team mates but now opponents! Always friends!!! #CPL21 #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/1CXkcSgvV6

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 24, 2021

Individuals who have contracted the virus will be placed in isolation as per the instructions of the strict guidelines put forth by the organizing committee, the CPL 2021's medical team as well as the health authorities in St Kitts and Nevis.

Get the latest list of CPL 2021 squad here.

The rest of the travel group, which consists of players and support staff, enter a bio-bubble. Following detection of positive cases among the group, a comprehensive contact tracing protocol was conducted which did not yield any more casualties. Michael Hall, CPL 2021's Tournament Operations Director, said:

'The two positive cases were identified quickly following on arrival testing and were flagged with CPL 2021 while in room quarantine was still taking place for those individuals. The tournament bubble remains intact and there has been no exposure to the wider public in the Federation. We are looking forward to getting the cricket underway on the August 26,'

CPL 2021 will take place behind closed doors

Much like the previous edition, the cricketing action will take place in front of empty stands due to concerns associated with COVID-19. The tournament will take place from August 26 to September 15 at Warner Park Stadium and will begin with defending champion Trinbago Knight Riders taking on the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

🇹🇹 Can the @TKRiders make it 5 titles this year at CPL21? #TrinbagoKnightRiders #CPL21 #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/Fl5FqhAGPL

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 24, 2021

Trinbago Knight Riders achieved a rare feat by winning the tournament without suffering a single defeat. This time around, they won't have the services of their head coach Brendon McCullum, who decided to opt out of the tournament due to personal reasons. The franchise roped in Imran Jan for the role this season.

Earlier, Carlos Brathwaite was also put in isolation after a COVID-19 case was detected on the flight that brought him to St.Kitts and Nevis from the United Kingdom. He claimed that no official information has been provided regarding his duration of isolation.