No Sri Lankan to participate in IPL at Chennai after being 'BANNED'

IPL Season 6 began with controversy with Sri Lankan players, umpires or match officials being banned from playing any game that occurs in Chennai, at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.

This decision came after the political tensions, stemmed from the treatment that ethnic Tamils are receiving in Sri Lanka, between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Nadu state government (a state that is Tamil dominant).  The ban came after the Tamil Nadu government wrote to the Prime Minister that they will allow IPL games in Chennai as long as they don’t involve Sri Lanka: players, umpires and match officials.

This has had a significant impact on the franchises that consist on high profile Sri Lankan players, who are unable to use their full strength team whilst playing in Chennai, especially the Chennai Super Kings who play half their game at this venue.

Mike Hussey told ‘The Hindu’ newspaper "It's a shame. The Sri Lankan players have nothing to do with what happened or not. The Sri Lankan players, like the others, just love playing the game. CSK itself will be without Nuwan Kulasekara, who I believe, is an extremely useful bowler in these conditions.”

Sri Lankan player affected:

• Mahela Jayawardene and Jeevan Mendis (Delhi Daredevils)
• Sachithra Senanayake (Kolkata Knight Riders)
• Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians)
• Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors)
• Kushal Janith Perera (Rajasthan Royals)
• Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
• Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

As a result of this, franchises have asked for the first 2 play-offs of the IPL to be shifted out of Chennai, so that they can play their best strength teams.