Delhi Capitals pacer Anrich Nortje on Friday came out of his hard quarantine that was extended by a couple of days following a false COVID-19 positive report.
The Proteas speedster, a star performer for DC in the last edition, had tested positive for COVID-19 while in quarantine. But was retested and came out negative in three RT-PCR results.
"Our pace superstar is now out of quarantine. After a false positive result for COVID-19, Anrich Nortje tested negative thrice, and is now part of our team bubble. We can't wait to see him in action," DC tweeted from its official handle.
"It's nice to be out of the room and see everyone at breakfast. Excited to get to training today," Nortje said in a video posted by the franchise.
"It will be nice to go back to the stadium and it's nice that the IPL is happening in India. It's exciting to get back on the field."
Nortje's case is the second such instance of false COVID-19 positive report in the ongoing IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders' opener Nitish Rana had endured a similar turn of events.
Nortje and Kagiso Rabada had arrived in Mumbai on April 6 and started their quarantine with a negative report.
However, just as they were supposed to enter the team bubble from their hard quarantine, Nortje's first report came out a positive, which eventually turned out to be a false alarm.
DC has brought in Shams Mulani as a short-term Covid-19 replacement for Axar Patel for their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign.
Axar had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus during his mandatory quarantine ahead of the season and was subsequently taken to BCCI's medical facility for isolation and treatment.
Mulani, a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Mumbai, comes in as a replacement under IPL's Player Regulations. Under Regulation 6.1 (c), franchises are allowed to sign a short-term replacement player until the original squad member is permitted to re-enter the team's bio-secure environment. Hence, Mulani will only be a part of the Delhi Capitals side until Axar recovers and is allowed to join the team.
Mulani represents Mumbai in domestic cricket and has featured in 10 First-Class, 30 List A, and 25 T20s so far. This will be his maiden experience in the IPL. However, Mulani will not be permitted to represent another IPL franchise this season once he leaves the Delhi Capitals.
