CHENNAI:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
's Australian all-rounder
Daniel Sams
on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the IPL starting on April 9 here, becoming the second player from his team to be infected by the dreaded virus.
According to a statement issued by
RCB
on its twitter handle, the 28-year-old all-rounder arrived in India on April 3 and had a negative COVID-19 test report at that time.
"His report from the 2nd test on 7th April came positive. Sams is currently asymptomatic and he is currently in isolation at a designated medical facility," the RCB said.
"Royal Challengers Bangalore medical team is in constant touch with Daniel Sams and continue to monitor his health and abide by the BCCI protocols."
Sams was traded to the RCB this season from Delhi Capitals. He became the second RCB player to test positive for the infection after left-handed opening batsman Devdutt Padikkal.
Padikkal, however, came out negative in the latest round of testing.
RCB will take on defending champions
Mumbai Indians in the tournament-opener on Friday. Sams has played in only three IPL games so far in his career.
On Tuesday, Mumbai Indians' wicket-keeping consultant and talent scout
Kiran More had also tested positive for the virus, but all other members of the defending champions' squad returned negative reports.
IPL 2021
has been hit hard by the coronavirus even before its start as a number of ground-staff at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, broadcast crew event management officials, and some cricketers, including the likes of Axar Patel and Nitish Rana, have contracted the infection.