At this time, there’s nothing more that could’ve hurt the crowds at Chennai Super Kings home M.A. Chidambaram stadium other than having the venue- the perennial home of Dhoni-led CSK- to be shifted to some other venue. Who would’ve expected this to come true? Perhaps not even the compulsive critic, who manages to find a blithe in honest sincere team triumphs.
This is particularly hurting since it was just a few hours ago on April 10, 2018 that Chennai Super Kings returned to their home den to clinch what became their second successive victory.
That cricket should collide with unwanted political or socio-cultural occurrences isn’t ideal but then that is how it goes some times. At this juncture in their journey, there’s concern for Chennai Super Kings’ phenomenal crowd base. The Cauvery water dispute is arguably one of the glaring concerns staring the Tamil capital straight in the eye. The Caurvery Water dispute has been an ongoing issue since over 24 months and it’s a facet that hinges on the supply of the river water shared between two states interlocked in the peak of discomfort: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. And now, tensions have risen to an extent that for peace to prevail- as it should- the Chepauk Stadium, already at the backdrop of protests and civilian clashes in the wake of the recently completed game featuring Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will no longer host any match in IPL 2018.
This may be an uneventful news for all and not exactly symbolic to glee but is the only sensible decision because during KKR’s batting turn on April 10, protestors part in the stadium resorted to hurling footwear at cricketers; a sight that none would ever imagine or approve of, regardless of what the tension or the extremity of the issue. There were widespread concerns, even though stemming from malicious grapevine that the IPL games being hosted at the Chepauk were a move to shift the attention from the ongoing tensions in relation to the water dispute issue toward cricket.
While this would be the most baseless case anyone may have heard of, it’s gone to an extent that has given rise to a divided public opinion. The locals in Chennai weren’t too pleased to note that vehicular traffic, congestions and other unrest took place on account of an IPL contest being scheduled in the southern city; otherwise a place that loves its cricket and adores the game’s stars and talents. Not that this was the healthiest option available but at times the conflict between sport and civilian tension reaches an extent that it becomes only necessary to take a sudden albeit radical course of action.
There was quite a lot of furore that some sections of the society clashed with the police. And that the IPL contest featuring home team CSK was held under tight police patrol and security. Can this be avoided in future? Absolutely. But was there a need for things to come to a level of such evident discomfort: one’s not really sure. Cricket loving audiences and the extensive fanbase of the Chennai Super Kings would want to know that why can’t cricket be separated from backlashes and unrest that do not have sport at the heart of the issue?
The Cauvery water issue is still an ongoing controversy. Back in February, the court has granted a time period of six weeks to the centre to envisage a scheme and formulate it so as to ensure compliance of a judgment that is elaborate to the extent of being in 465 pages.