MUMBAI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was one of the many players to have undergone dope tests during the just-concluded IPL. According to sources, none of the players has tested positive so far.
A top IPL official said most teams had to under undergo dope tests twice but the tests were only random rather than target. “There was no target dope tests during the IPL. Two players from each team after a match were randomly picked through a draw by the rival team managers and were asked to appear for dope tests,” he said.
DNA has learnt that after the final at the DY Patel Stadium in Nerul, Dhoni’s name was picked in the draw and the Chennai Super Kings captain had to rush to give a urine sample to the WADA sleuths. His teammate Vijay Kartik was the other player to undergo the test. The Chennai team manager too confirmed that Dhoni was called for testing. In an earlier match, Dhoni’s teammate Manpreet Singh Gony had appeared for the test.
It was not immediately known who were the players called from the Jaipur side. The IPL official refused to disclose the names. Even when specifically asked if Shoaib Akhtar, Shane Warne or Mohammad Asif were randomly picked for testing, the official refused to divulge the names. He, however, disclosed that they have received the results of some tests and none of them is positive.
“The samples were sent to Switzerland immediately after the testing and we have received some results and none of them has shown positive,” he revealed.
Though the Board of Control for Cricket in India is still not WADA-compliant, it requested the World Anti-Doping Agency to conduct tests during the 44-day tournament. The Board, however, will soon have to be WADA-compliant. An ICC spokesman said all its full members have agreed to be WADA-compliant before 2009. So far only England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have signed up with WADA. “We’ll sign up with WADA before the stipulated time,” said BCCI secretary
Niranjan Shah.
