Chennai Super Kings returned to their home ground after 1095 days and the kind of welcome they got was certainly unexpected. In their IPL clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, a few shoes were hurled at the edge of the boundary from the upper tier of the stands opposite to the main pavilion.

CSK twelfth man Francois du Plessis, who had entered the field during the game, threw a shoe that fell inside the ground. Ravindra Jadeja also did the same while fielding on the boundary.

The drought-prone state has been involved in a dispute with their neighboring state—Karnataka on how to share water from Cauvery river. A group of people opposed the IPL match in Chennai in the middle of Tamil Nadu’s political distress. Political Parties and farmers’ groups reportedly demanded the organizers to cancel the game.

Hundreds of protestors, some wearing black t-shirts, gathered near the venue shouting slogans ahead of the CSK-KKR match. Players were asked to wear black badges. The teams had to enter the MA Chidambaram Stadium through the back gate to avoid complications as the anti-IPL activists burned merchandise outside the stadium.

Two people were arrested for the shoe-hurling incident. Protesters who were carrying red flags against rules were also removed from the ground by the police.

The spectators were allowed to take only their mobile phones inside the stadium. Spectators wearing a black shirt were not allowed inside, according to a police officer. Hundreds of police personnel were deployed at the venue, with many in riot gear.