PLEASE REMOVE CHENNAI AS IPL VENUE

With less than 10 days to go before the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) begins, politics is making an impact on the cricket tournament. Sources say that IPL franchisees have told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to drop Chennai as a venue for matches, if the current political situation over Sri Lankan Tamils remains. Protests have been on in the city over the UN resolution on Sri Lankan war crimes against Tamils. Sources say that IPL franchisees are unwilling to drop Sri Lankan players from games in Chennai. The BCCI is worried by the development and is yet to communicate its decision to franchisees, added the sources. Earlier, Hyderabad too was dropped as a venue because of the Telengana unrest. The US resolution against Sri Lanka over alleged human rights violations was passed at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. While 25 countries, including India, voted in favour of the resolution, 13 countries, including Pakistan, voted against it and eight countries abstained from voting.