Making a comeback after a two-year ban, Chennai Super Kings and its fans were clearly excited to be playing on their home turf. However, things didn’t go as expected. On April 10, when CSK played the Kolkata Knight Riders, the match was everything but smooth.
Despite massive protests over the Cauvery water-sharing issue, the game was allowed to carry on as scheduled. Crowds had gathered to protest outside as well as inside the stadium, because of which the toss got delayed since the match officials could not enter the stadium. Supporters were also spotted burning the yellow jerseys of the CSK players.
In the eighth over of the first innings, a major security threat emerged when a shoe was thrown in the direction of Faf du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja was fielding on the boundary line at that time. The shoe thankfully missed both the players and was taken off the field quickly. This incident brought so much shame to the game and the nation. Two men were later arrested for their involvement in the incident.
Several activists, including actors, were detained due to their involvement in the anti-IPL protests by pro-Tamil parties in Chennai.
Discussions were held to move the home games of CSK away from Chennai. On April 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Chennai will not host the next IPL match scheduled in the city due to security concerns, following the violence during their first home game. The matches that were to be held in Chennai will now be held in Pune.
IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla told reporters in Jaipur on April 11, “CSK will be asked to move their home matches to Pune as the Chennai police have expressed their inability to provide adequate security for the remaining matches.”
This incident has spoiled the very ethics of the sport and its status. These things need to be taken care of – to ensure that the very dignity of the sport persists.