In a big blow to the BCCI, as per a Times of India report, two prominent players a batsman and a pace bowler has tested positive for COVID-19. The identity of the players has been kept under wraps. After the announcement of the extended squad, which had 22 players and three standbys, players were asked to quarantine on Thursday and their Covid-19 tests were conducted. Unfortunately, Vidarbha lost out on two players. Left-handed Shubham Dubey, who has been in great form, has been added to the squad along with Saurabh Dubey, who was included in the final list for the Indian Premier League 2021 auction.

Shubham has been a consistent performer in the local circuit but hasn’t been given a look-in for some reason. He was among the top five run-scorers in the recently-concluded Guzder Lague ‘A’ Division one-day tournament. Shubham scored 469 runs, including three fifties, at a healthy average of 78.17 with a strike rate of 88.99.On the other hand, Saurabh was part of the Mumbai Indians during the last edition of IPL as a net bowler. Vidarbha will leave for Indore on Saturday morning, where the whole squad will be quarantined for five days. They will have just a couple of practice sessions before their opening match against Andhra Pradesh. The tournament will be held across six venues in Surat, Indore, Bangalore, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Tamil Nadu. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will start the Vijay Hazare Trophy from February 20th 2021 onwards. he quarter-finals will be played on March 8 and 9, while the semi-finals will take place on March 11. The final match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is scheduled for March 14.