IPL 2020: Adam Zampa replaces Kane Richardson in RCB squad

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have announced that spinner Adam Zampa will be replacing pacer Kane Richardson in the team's squad for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.

The franchise announced on Twitter that pacer Kane Richardson and his wife are expecting the birth of their first child due to which the Australian has pulled out of the tournament.

The IPL 2020 will be played from September 19-November 10 in the UAE across three venues --Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

"We are disappointed to not have Kane's skills with us this IPL, as he was certainly on top of his game. However once we found out Kane and Nyki's baby was due during the IPL, it's an exciting time, and we were fully supportive of Kane wanting to be at the birth of their first child," Mike Hesson, RCB's Director of Cricket, said in an official statement.

"When looking at our squad for UAE conditions we felt it was an opportunity to bring in another quality leg spinner in Adam Zampa to provide cover for Chahal and also give us extra options if conditions suit spin as expected during the tournament," he added.

Zampa's entry has now strengthed RCB's spin attack which already comprises of Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar.

Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, and the uncapped Shahbaz Ahmed are the other spin options in the RCB squad.

This will be Zampa's second IPL franchise as he had previously played the tournament for the Rising Pune Supergiants.

For that particular franchise, he had managed to take 19 wickets from 11 matches at an economy rate of 7.54.

On Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that 13 personnel including two players tested positive for COVID-19.

However, the board did not specify as to which team has how many confirmed cases. The identity of the players and staff was also not revealed.

"13 personnel have tested positive of which 2 are players. All the affected personnel as well as their close contacts are asymptomatic and have been isolated from other team members. They are being monitored by the IPL Medical Team," the BCCI had said in an official release.

All players and team personnel are required to undergo a six-day quarantine period after landing in the UAE and everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19 thrice.

Once, they all test negative for COVID-19, the players can start training in the UAE with their team-mates.

The final match of the 2020 edition is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament.

This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.

-ANI

Also Read: IPL 2020: 13 personnel, including 2 players test positive for COVID-19, confirms BCCI