After security issues concerning the Indian state of Tamil Nadu the IPL confirms players from Sri Lanka will not play there.
The IPL governing council have confirmed that no Sri Lankan players will be involved in games played in Chennai in the sixth edition of the tournament.
This comes in the wake of nationals from Sri Lanka being attacked in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu – where the city of Chennai is situated.
The Sri Lankan government and cricket board had already raised concerns over the safety of their players involved in the IPL.
In response to the issue, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Dr. Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister stating Sri Lankan cricketers would not be welcome in Chennai.
“In such a hostile and tense environment, we apprehend that the participation of Sri Lankan players in the IPL tournament, with many games to be played in Chennai, would aggravate an already surcharged atmosphere,” the letter was quoted on NDTV.
There are 12 Sri Lankan cricketers signed to IPL franchises currently.
None of them will now feature in the 10 matches to be played in the city and although this decision is a problem for many IPL teams, it will be the biggest issue for the Chennai Super Kings.
The Super Kings have Sri Lankan bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Akila Dananjaya on their books and the two key players will now only be able to play away games for the side.
The other most affected IPL teams will be Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who each have two Sri Lanka players in their squads.
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