IPL Auction 2020: Franchises keeping close tabs on turn of affairs in Kolkata amid CAA demonstration

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has given way to extensive demonstrations throughout the country and one of the primarily impacted areas is West Bengal. As a matter of fact, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Kolkatam just two days away, franchises are keeping a close tab on the set of circumstances.

A senior official of one of the teams stated that it was plain to see that one would want to know the state of affair as there have been reports of violence in the state.

"Not too worried, but yes, an eye has to be kept on developments. With the auction on Thursday and rallies on in the state, we need to keep monitoring the situation for sure,” the official said.

In truth, internet service in Malda, Murshidabad, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and parts of South 24 Parganas district had been put to ice after protests grew violent.

The Trinamool Congress on it’s official twitter handle on 13th December had stated that there will be a mega rally to oppose CAA on Monday.

"@MamataOfficial announces mega rally against #CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019 on December 16 in #Kolkata. The rally will begin near the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar and end at Jorasanko. . Didi will walk in the rally (sic)," the tweet read.

It has also been reported that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called for a meeting of senior party leaders on 20th December to sketch the party’s proposed action in view of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) getting green light from both Houses of the Parliament.

An official another team stated that most of the members taking part in the auction will be returning to base only on 20th December and arrive in Kolkata on Tuesday, so in that case the ball gameneeds to be observed.

"See, while most of the owners might reach on December 18 and leave on December 19 post the auction, the rest of the team members will be returning only the day after and will be returning only the day after and will be reaching the city by tomorrow. In that case, the situation will obviously need constant observation," the official said.

Another franchise stated that while there have been no official appeal sent to the BCCI to draw taut the security at the venue of the auction, a wait and watch policy is for sure being followed.

"We are keeping an eye, but no, we haven't sent any official request to tighten security at the venue of the auction," the official stated.

A senior member of another team stated that the teams have complete trust in the planning of the BCCI.

"To be honest, yes, we are keeping an eye on the protests and all. But we are also pretty confident that the board will take all necessary action to ensure that there is no problem in the organisation of the auction. Some of our guys will reach the city tomorrow itself and there has been no word from BCCI on any change or anything," the official said.

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