The euphoria over Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) homecoming after two seasons and its sensational victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Chepauk on Tuesday proved to be shortlived, as the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) governing body chose to shift the franchisee’s remaining six home matches on account of the volatile political situation.

Tamil Nadu has been witnessing protests over the delay by the Centre in setting up the Cauvery Management Board, as mandated by the Supreme Court, and political leaders have been calling for IPL matches to be shifted out of the State as a show of solidarity with farmers.

Violent protests on Tuesday ahead of the match saw clashes between police and protesters, mostly belonging to fringe political parties in Tamil Nadu.

The fear of bigger protests for the remaining matches seems to have prompted this decision.

The IPL, a soft target for politicians, has once again paid the price for its popularity. Ticket sales for CSK’s next home match on April 20 have been postponed, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association said.

Speaking to BusinessLine , all that CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said was that the BCCI would take a final call on the alternative venue.

The prevailing political and security situation has forced this decision, Vinod Rai, head of the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators, told agencies.

Four alternative locations — Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune and Rajkot — have been identified, he added.

People close to the team management said that it could be Visakhapatnam or Thiruvananthapuram. But neither would ever match Chepauk for CSK.

The extent of financial losses for both both CSK (it will have to spend more on logistics) and the State government (it stands to lose tax revenue) is not clear.

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