Despite assurances from IPL Commissioner Rajeev Shukla, it seems that Indian Premier League teams are worried about the safety of their Sri Lankan players.
According to a report on IBN Live, IPL franchisees have told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to drop Chennai as a venue for matches, given the unrest over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. Times Now reported that teams had been given an unofficial advisory not to play Lankan players for matches in Chennai, but as many as five teams have indicated that they are not willing to do this.
Chennai is slated to host 10 matches of IPL 6, but the city has seen protests ever since the UN resolution on Sri Lankan war crimes against Tamils.
Chennai is slated to host 10 matches of IPL 6. AFP
Some of the teams affected by dropping the Lankan players would be – Mumbai Indians (Malinga), Sunrisers Hyderebad, and the Delhi Daredevils.
There has been no response from the BCCI over the latest instance of politics meddling with sport. Earlier, Hyderabad was dropped as a venue due to troubles relating to Telengana.
The Sri Lankan Cricket Players’ Association has already made it clear that they need to assess the safety of their players.
Click here for a list of players from Sri Lanka who play in the IPL and here for the full IBN Live report.
