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IPL 2018: Chennai's loss Pune's gain- Maharashtra city to host CSK home matches

Massive protests were witnessed on Wednesday ahead of the match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Ravindra Jadeja of Chennai Super Kings during a match against Mumbai Indians.
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Pune will be the new host of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches that were moved out of Chennai.

The Cauvery water dispute on Wednesday forced the BCCI to shift Chennai Super Kings' remaining home games to Pune as the state administration expressed inability to ensure adequate security arrangements for the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

"The matches had to be shifted out of Chennai as police had said that they were unable to provide security in the prevailing situation. CSK is not averse to shifting base to Pune," IPL Chairman Rajv Shukla said. 

"There are a number of venues, but most likely Pune will be chosen as an alternative venue in lieu of Chennai. The proposal has been sent to the Governing Council for approval," he added.

There were calls by various groups not to host cricket matches in Chennai when the state was facing such a grave situation.

Massive protests were witnessed on Wednesday ahead of the match between CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders and an identified protestor flung a shoe at CSK's Ravindra Jadeja during the match.

The BCCI had short-listed four cities to host matches but eventually Pune was finalised since CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is familiar with the conditions having played two seasons with Rising Pune Supergiants

Shukla had also spoken to the Union Home Secretary on Tuesday, seeking government intervention in smooth conduct of IPL matches in Chennai.

Committee of Administrator (CoA) chief Vinod Rai had earlier said that the prevailing situation has forced them to explore options and they had kept four alternative venues ready. Apart from Pune, Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Rajkot were selected as stand-by venues.

Asked why Pune was selected, an IPL source told PTI that captain Dhoni knows the conditions well and logistically it made sense to have Pune as the new venue instead of Visakhapatnam.

"There are only a few direct flights available from Vizag. If the team has to travel to Indore, then they had to reach Indore via Delhi. Pune has better connectivity, so it was decided that CSK shift base to Pune," the source said.

Meanwhile, an official from the Maharashtra Cricket Association said they are ready to host matches.

"We were in touch with BCCI as well franchise officials. We are prepared for the challenge as the match is to be hosted in a just few days," said the official who did not wish to be quoted.

The organisers have a few days to put arrangements in place as CSK play their next home game on April 20 against Rajasthan Royals.

 IPL's most popular franchise CSK has made a comeback to the league after serving two-year suspension for its role in the 2013-spot fixing scandal in 2013.

The news of the change in venue came just a day after Chennai Super Kings made a happy homecoming at MA Chidambaram Stadium and went on to beat Kolkata Knight Riders in the last-over thriller on Tuesday

However, the clash was marred by controversy as 21 Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) party workers were arrested and sent to Puzhal Central Prison for holding protests over Cauvery issue outside Chennai's Chepauk Stadium in a bid to stop the match.

The arrested party workers were charged for beating up policemen on duty who were deployed to curb the protest and ensure the match to be held between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was played without trouble.

The protestors were demanding that the IPL matches not be held when a more pressing matter - the Centre's failure to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) - was at the fore. 

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