Giving in to the mounting pressure in Tamil Nadu against Sri Lanka, the IPL Governing Council, on Wednesday, withdrew Sri Lankan players from IPL matches that will be played in the state. The move comes after Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to the PM refusing to host players from the island nation in protest against the alleged war crimes taking place there. She had threatened that her government would grant permission for IPL matches to be held in the state only if the organizers provided an undertaking that no Sri Lankan player, umpire, official or support staff will participate in these matches.

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Meanwhile, expressing his angst over the Council’s decision, former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga said that Sri Lankan cricketers should pull out of the entire tournament for the sake of their country’s pride. Terming the decision a “political gimmick”, Ranatunga added that if the Council was keen on the participation of Sri Lankan players, it should not have scheduled any matches in the state. Bowing to demands of the state and the DMK, which walked out of the Congress-led UPA coalition, the government had supported the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka. But is it high time  now for the centre to step in and take action against the ban imposed by the Tamil Nadu government?