Matches likely to be played at Visakhapatnam, Pune, Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram
The troubled waters of Cauvery issue have washed away Chennai Super Kings home advantage as the remaining six matches of the Indian Premier League-11 have now been shifted out of the Tamil Nadu capital. The CSK will now play their remaining six league matches at four short-listed venues — Visakhapatnam, Pune, Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram. The final decision regarding alternate venues would be decided late on Wednesday night or on Thursday.
The decision to shift matches out of Chennai was reached after the franchise's chief executive officer, Kasi Viswanathan met the Chennai police commissioner late on Wednesday night. According to sources, the former was asked if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can reschedule the remaining six matches out of Chennai. Viswanathan told DNA, "The police commissioner wanted the matches to be rescheduled keeping in mind the prevailing situation in the city. However, that will logistically not be possible for CSK to do because it involves many stakeholders. Without adequate security measures, we didn't want to risk anything and we have told the BCCI to look for alternate venues."
While a majority of the political parties backed the protests, many condemned the violence. On Wednesday, actor-politician Rajinikanth condemned the attack on policemen on his Twitter account. He tweeted: "The worst form of violence is the assault on uniformed personnel". The superstar had earlier said that holding cricket matches when Cauvery protests are on, is an "embarrassment". The CSK has played just one game at their home venue in the ongoing IPL and that too was marred by protests organised by different political parties in support of setting up of Cauvery Management Board.
On Tuesday, there were large scale protests outside the MA Chidambaram Stadium as CSK hosted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The intelligence reports mentioned that the protesters may now try and target cricket fans if the IPL continues to host matches in Chennai. As far as the issue of alternate venues is concerned, the IPL Governing Council is expected to deliberate on the subject and pick from the short-listed four centres as the franchise has no say in the matter.
However, DNA has also learnt that the Saurashtra Cricket Association has offered to host CSK matches in Rajkot, but IPL GC apparently is not keen on the venue. Though the match was completed amidst high security, there were instances inside the stadium when slippers/shoes were thrown into the ground and CSK's yellow jerseys were burnt by protesters, who had managed to buy tickets and enter the stadium. It has been reported that at least five spectators were later detained by the police.
Some of the protesters and leaders said that the Centre is playing politics over the issue and only a 'blanket cancellation' would drive the message home. In fact, the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) had even threatened to release live snakes and scorpions into the stadium if the matches were not cancelled.
In some areas, policemen who tried to intervene, bore the brunt of the protesters' anger. Nearly 800 people were temporarily detained. Cutting across party lines, political leaders from Tamil Nadu accused the BJP of trying to play petty politics in Karnataka, where assembly elections will be held in May. Some opposition parties and pro-Tamil outfits in Tamil Nadu today said they would hold black flag protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state on Thursday.
This comes a day after the main opposition party, DMK, asked people to hoist black flags atop their houses to oppose his visit. Modi is scheduled to formally inaugurate India's mega defence exhibition — the Defexpo at Thiruvidanthai. MDMK general secretary Vaiko said his party would hold a black flag demonstration at Little Mount against Modi's visit for his "betrayal" of Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue.
Water Woes
- CSK has played just one game at their home turf in the ongoing IPL game. Protesters hurled slippers/shoes on the ground and CSK's yellow jerseys were burnt by protesters on Tuesday
- DMK tells people to hoist black flags atop their houses during Modi's visit to TN today
- Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi had threatened to release live snakes and scorpions inside the stadium if the matches were not cancelled.
- Nearly 800 people were temporarily detained for indulging in violent protests
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