Even though 17 staff members of the Wankhede cricket stadium in Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not thinking about shifting the Indian Premier League (IPL) fixtures out of Mumbai. The Indian cricket board, backing their decision, said creating a bio-bubble at an alternative venue would not be feasible at a short notice.

Delhi Capitals’ Axar Patel, 10 members of the ground staff at Wankhede stadium and six event managers, deployed by the BCCI, have added to the growing list of positive cases in the IPL.

“Yes, Hyderabad is one of the stand-by venues but for all practical purposes, we are still not thinking about shifting games from Mumbai. It will be difficult to create another bio-bubble at such short notice,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on Saturday.

“Yes, it was 8 positive cases yesterday as far as ground-staff are concerned. Today two more positive cases have emerged and all 10 have been sent back home and are isolated.

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“We are bringing fresh ground-staff from the Mumbai CA ground in Kandivali for preparations. Also 6 to 7 event management staff hired by BCCI have also tested positive,” a senior Mumbai Cricket Association official told PTI.

As of now, none of the teams currently in Mumbai — Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings — have access to Wankhede.