No Threat To Indian Players, Tournament-Opener To Go Ahead As Scheduled Despite Emergency In Sri Lanka: BCCI

CK Khanna, the acting president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has assured that there is no threat to the security of Indian players currently in Sri Lanka. The fears over the players’ security has arisen due to the ongoing violence in the country which forced the authorities to declare a 10-day emergency.

The Sri Lankan police have imposed a 10-day emergency to end anti-Muslim violence. The police took the stern action after mobs from the majority ethnic Sinhalese population burned shops and homes in retaliation for a death that’s the subject of a dispute. The violence occurred in Kandy on Monday after an ethnic Sinhalese man died in hospital after he was attacked by a group of Muslims.

The 15-man squad, led by Rohit Sharma, is currently in the island nation for the Nidahas Trophy Tri-Nation T20I series. Barring the hosts and India, the series also includes Bangladesh. Not surprisingly, questions have arisen on the players’ security.

However, Khanna has insisted that the Sri Lanka Cricket board has assured that there will be no comprise on the security of the players. The board president also ensured that there is no threat to the games, according to India TV.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has also issued a statement. The board said that the situation is under control in Colombo since the disturbance has occurred in Kandy.

“There have been reports of curfew and an emergency being called in Sri Lanka. The situation in picture is Kandy and not Colombo. This is to notify everyone that after talking to concerned security personnel (Ministerial security division – in charge of team security) we have understood that the situation is completely normal in Colombo. If at all there is any update on the same we shall notify,” the BCCI said in a press release.

Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka will take on each other in the tournament opener on Tuesday.

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