Players from around the world compete in the world's richest cricket league.Last week the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution highly critical of Sri Lanka's human rights record. The government in Colombo rejects allegations of abuses.Thirteen Sri Lankans are signed up to play in the nine-team Twenty20 tournament, which begins on 3 April.Sri Lanka's army defeated separatist Tamil rebels in 2009 after a brutal 26-year war, but it is the final phase of that war which has come under most scrutiny by rights activists.They include Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Tilakratne Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis.The Tamil Nadu move follows concern that rising political tension in the state over alleged human rights violations of Tamils in Sri Lanka could spill over into the hugely popular IPL.Ten Indian Premier League (IPL) games are scheduled to be played in Chennai as part of the tournament, which is now in its sixth season.Her government therefore felt that "IPL matches involving Sri Lankan players, umpires and other officials should not be played in Tamil Nadu.Chennai Super Kings, one of the top franchises, has two Sri Lankans - seamer Nuwan Kulasekara and off-spinner Akila Dananjaya.
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