Indian Premier League (IPL) has returned to Chepauk stadium in Chennai after a gap of two years where the home franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are taking on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the fifth match of the 2018 fixture. It has been reported that shoes are being thrown near the boundary rope. And three people have already been arrested.
Ergo, fans were expected to be excited and bewildered at the return of the men in yellow, but few welcomed them with shoes. As per ESPN Cricinfo report, “Shoes are being flung at the edge of the boundary. CSK officials and police are standing at the edge of the boundary. The shoes were flung from the end of Pattabiraman gate, where Jadeja is standing.”
Naam Tamilar Activists arrested by Chennai police after hurling shoes during #CSKvKKR match #YellowPoduWhistlePodu #IPL #CauveryProtest #CauveryMangementBoard pic.twitter.com/swFURJRGOV
— Shabbir Ahmed (@Ahmedshabbir20) April 10, 2018
CSK player Faf du Plessis, who is not playing in the match, and Ravindra Jadeja, fielding on the boundary, threw the two shoes that fell inside the ground. A couple of shoes also fell on the stands below. Local organizers said the protesters, who were also carrying a red flag against rules, were removed from the stadium as soon as possible. CSK’s first at Chennai for almost two years is going ahead under tight security after various political parties and farmers’ groups demanded that IPL organizers cancel the game or move it outside the state.
#CauveryRow #IPL2018 #CSKvsKKR | Panic gripped fans at Chepauk Stadium as four men hurled shoes at the players. @chennaipolice_ caught hold of the men. pic.twitter.com/0t8ylUSIdm
— Bangalore Mirror (@BangaloreMirror) April 10, 2018
Players were asked to at least wear black badges, even the toss before the match was delayed by 15 minutes after the umpires arrived late. Police tried to force protesters on to buses outside the stadium in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state.
#CauveryDispute: Protesters burning CSK team jersey at Anna Salai. #IPL
Follow live: https://t.co/oIMJCBgkY4 pic.twitter.com/FGlxIaOEqP— TOIChennai (@TOIChennai) April 10, 2018
The teams had to enter the MA Chidambaram stadium through the back gate as the complex turned into a fortress with the deployment of hundreds of police personnel, many in riot gear. Police chased away the protestors in some places while one incident of protesters burning the CSK’s yellow jerseys was also reported.
Demonstrators shout slogans as they block a road outside the venue of an #IPL #CSKvsKKR cricket match during a protest in Chennai over the sharing of Cauvery river water, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/P. Ravikumar pic.twitter.com/QsRE1SjKs2
— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) April 10, 2018
