NEW DELHI – *A sad day for World cricket as spectators threw shoes at SouthAfrican captain Faf du Plessis and Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja atthe MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.*
Both the players are part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who returned tothe Indian Premier League (IPL) after two years of suspension. The Indianmedia reported that protesters burned merchandise and jostled with policeoutside the cricket stadium, demanding that IPL matches be cancelled as thesouthern city reels from a water crisis.
Hundreds of demonstrators, some wearing black T-shirts and waving blackballoons, gathered near the venue shouting slogans ahead of and during theChennai Super Kings´ match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
IPL is back in Chennai after Two year’s
Someone in the crowds threw a Shoe at Faf..
can these kind of behaviour put everything into place and solve everyproblems? #IPL2018link> #CSKvKKRlink>pic.twitter.com/GG2uvVaT5q link>
— Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) April 10, 2018link>
A group of spectators threw a pair of shoes at the boundary in the Stadium,in the vicinity of Chennai Super Kings players, prompting the interventionof police.
The incident happened in the eighth over of the game, after which policeevicted the group of spectators from the ground and reportedly took theminto custody.
The spectators in question, carrying flags not permitted inside thestadium, flung the shoes near Ravindra Jadeja, who was fielding at long-on,and Faf du Plessis, who was seen carrying drinks for team-mates. Policetried to force protesters on to buses outside the stadium in Chennai.
Shoes thrown during @IPL link>matchbetween Chennai Super Kings & Kolkata Knight Riders. Stadium cleared ofprotestors, 4000 policeman deployed as massive anti IPL protests hitChennai by pro-Tamil groups pic.twitter.com/jgNu26A9NOlink>
— PTV Sports (@PTVSp0rts) April 10, 2018link>
The Chennai stadium is scheduled to host the IPL matches between April 10and May 20.
The Super Kings have also told the sellout crowd that they will not beallowed to take mobile phones, bags or other electronic devices into theground.