IPL franchises

            

   Four franchises IANS spoke to were confident that the issue would be sorted out by the time the Twenty20 tournament reaches its business end. Their contention is that there should be a level playing field among the contestants when they play in Chennai, which will host 10 matches. The franchises feel the IPL will be robbed of good competition and it will be in a win-win situation for Chennai Super Kings is they are allowed to get away with it.The franchises wondered when matches could be taken out of Hyderabad in 2010 during the Telangana agitation, why can't this be done in the case of Chennai when the situation is painted as more volatile by the state administration. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has insisted that IPL matches can be played in Chennai only if there is no Sri Lankan player or team official. There is growing unrest in Tamil Nadu over the atrocities against ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka during the civil war against Tamil Tigers that ended in 2009. A top official of an IPL franchise, which will also be led by a Sri Lankan, said the franchises are still in discussions whether to play in Chennai with the IPL rider or not and a final decision would be taken either late Saturday or Sunday. "In the past, the IPL Governing Council has set a precedent by shifting matches out of cities where safety and security were a matter of concern. If matches could be shifted out of Hyderabad during the height of Telengana agitation why not now? How can we play play-off and knockout matches without our key players," the official asked, while speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity. One senior official of a franchise, which will be led by a Sri Lankan, said the argument that the Super Kings, owned by Indian cricket board board president N. Srinivasan's company India Cements, also has two Sri Lankans would not wash as fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya were not regular starters. "There is no level playing field in Chennai. How can we afford to miss our captain and other crucial players when we are playing a play-off or a knock-out match in Chennai," asked the official while speaking to IANS.