During a session in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, PMK MLA S P Venkateswaran created controversy by calling for the banning of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from the Indian Premier League (IPL). The MLA stated that the team should be banned because they do not include any youth from Tamil Nadu, despite being based in the state. Venkateswaran made these comments during a debate on the Demand for Grants for Sports and Youth Welfare Department.

While speaking to the media, the MLA said he just reflected the public sentiment in the Assembly. “A lot of youngsters are watching IPL with lots of interest. Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu. Our leader Ayya (Dr Ramadoss) has launched a campaign ‘In search of Tamil’ to raise awareness among youth about the importance of protecting the Tamil language. A lot of people contacted me and said they are hurt that despite keeping Chennai as part of its team name, it does not provide opportunities for our talented native players, and it should be banned."

While CSK has had players from Tamil Nadu in the past, such as N Jagadeesan, Subramaniam Badrinath, and L Balaji, the current team does not include any local players. He also accused the franchise of using the name of the state for their own profit. “I just echoed the sentiments of the people in the Assembly today. They are making profits from our people by projecting as if they represent Tamil Nadu but there are no Tamil Nadu players (in the team). I want more people from our state to be part of the team,” he told the media.

Today, CSK hosts Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It will be a significant moment as Mahendra Singh Dhoni will captain CSK for the 200th time in the IPL, the most by a captain in the T20 league’s history.