Kolkata: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is known as much for its sporting and glamour quotient as for its controversies. This year`s ban on Sri Lankans from playing in Chennai is only a continuation of the trend in the cash-rich league which started in 2008.The latest controversy to hit the tourney is the ban on the cricketers from the island nation from playing in Chennai after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa insisted that the matches can be played in the southern metropolis only if there were no players or team officials from the Emerald Island.
Jayalalithaa`s diktat comes in the wake of the growing unrest in Tamil Nadu over the atrocities against ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka during the civil war against Tamil Tigers that ended in 2009.
The IPL`s unilateral decision did not go down well with the team owners and now the franchises with a strong Sri Lankan presence are slowly building up pressure on the IPL Governing Council to shift their play-off and knockout matches out of Chennai. The Franchises` contention - IPL will be robbed of good competition and it will be a win - win situation for Chennai Super Kings if they are allowed to get away with it.
Continuing the controversy trail, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have affirmed this year too, the five-year ban on Kolkata Knight Riders` co-owner and actor Shah Rukh Khan following an ugly spat with MCA officials after his team`s win over Mumbai Indians last year.
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