Sri Lanka Cricket bans players from matches in Tamil Nadu

By Uditha Jayasinghe

Sri Lanka’s cricket governing body has decided to ban Sri Lankan players from attending matches held in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 season on security fears, a statement said here on Wednesday. The decision was taken based on advice from Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry as well as recent media reports of attacks on Sri Lankans travelling to Tamil Nadu, the statement said.

“It was decided that the No Objection Certificates (NOC) issued to the players be restricted to exclude their appearance at any venue in the state of Tamil Nadu and also to obtain the players’ personal opinion on their willingness to participate in the event,” the statement added.

Sri Lanka Cricket has also consulted with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on player safety.

In response, the BCCI on Tuesday decided that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 matches in Chennai will not feature any Sri Lankan cricketers or match officials.

“The security of all involved in the IPL, whether players, spectators or those working in the stadiums, is of paramount importance to the BCCI,” the statement from BCCI said. “The governing council decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in the IPL 2013 league matches in Chennai and will advise the nine franchises accordingly.”

This followed growing political tensions, stemming from the treatment of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka. Over the weekend, two Buddhist monks were attacked in Tamil Nadu along with 16 tourists amid heightened tension with Colombo.