The Mumbai Cricket Association has asked its Apex Council members to produce a Covid-19 negative certificate in order to enter the Wankhede stadium, which will host 10 matches of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League.

The first game at the iconic stadium in South Mumbai will be held on Saturday evening when Chennai Super Kings square off with Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals.

"Dear Apex Council members. As per BCCI's protocol, all the officials who would be attending the IPL 2021 matches at Wankhede Stadium are required to produce a Negative report of RT-PCR test conducted within 48 hours of the match day," MCA secretary Sanjay Naik, wrote in a note to all the members.

"The tests are mandatory even for those who have been vaccinated. The report will have to be produced at the time of entry to the stadium on each match day.

"Hence you are requested to get yourself tested at your end and carry the negative report to the stadium on match day."

In the build up to the IPL, 10 groundsmen at the Wankhede stadium had tested positive for Covid, but most of them had later tested negative.

Then two more groundsmen, and a plumber had tested positive for Covid-19.

Maharashtra and it's capital Mumbai are worst affected by the infectious disease and the state government has imposed weekend lockdown.

Mumbai's Covid-19 case count has crossed the five lakh mark with 9,200 new cases on Friday, while the death toll rose to 11,909 as 35 patients died.