IPL 2021: Nitish Rana tests Covid-19 negative in 2nd Test; Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Nitish Rana has tested negative for coronavirus after returning a positive result on March 22.
Commenting on the turn of events, KKR issued a statement which read: “Nitish Rana had checked into the KKR team hotel in Mumbai, on March 21, 2021 with a negative COVID report which was done on March 19, 2021. As per IPL protocol, he was tested on March 22, during his quarantine and the report showed that he was positive. He has had no symptoms and has been completely asymptomatic since. Again as per IPL protocol, he isolated himself and was tested again today. We are glad to report that he has tested negative. We expect him to start training with the team shortly and be fully fit well before the start of the season.”
IPL 2021: Nitish Rana’s availability
Having undergone self-isolation after the positive result, he underwent a COVID-19 test on Thursday and tested negative. He will start training shortly with an eye on the opening game against SunRisers Hyderabad on April 11.
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IPL 2021: Nitish Rana’s recent performance
KKR would be happy to get their star batsman back, especially after his recent red-hot form. The right-handed batsman, who took part in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, is a vital cog in the KKR batting unit.
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Despite being slightly inconsistent, he still managed to amass 352 runs in IPL 2020. Notably, he has racked up over 300 runs in each of the last four IPL seasons.
IPL 2021: KKR schedule, fixtures, timings
KKR will kick-start their IPL 2021 season with the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 11.
| Matches | Date | Time | Home | Away | Venue |
| 1 | 11th April | 7.30 pm | SRH | KKR | Chennai |
| 2 | 13th April | 7.30 pm | KKR | MI | Chennai |
| 3 | 18th April | 3.30 pm | RCB | KKR | Chennai |
| 4 | 21st April | 7.30 pm | KKR | CSK | Mumbai |
| 5 | 24th April | 7.30 pm | RR | KKR | Mumbai |
| 6 | 26th April | 7.30 pm | PK | KKR | Ahmedabad |
| 7 | 29th April | 7.30 pm | DC | KKR | Ahmedabad |
| 8 | 3rd May | 7.30 pm | KKR | RCB | Ahmedabad |
| 9 | 8th May | 3.30 pm | KKR | DC | Ahmedabad |
| 10 | 10th May | 7.30 pm | MI | KKR | Bangalore |
| 11 | 12th May | 7.30 pm | CSK | KKR | Bangalore |
| 12 | 15th May | 7.30 pm | KKR | PK | Bangalore |
| 13 | 18th May | 7.30 pm | KKR | RR | Bangalore |
| 14 | 21st May | 3.30 pm | KKR | SRH | Bangalore |
IPL 2021 KKR Squad
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi
