Dark clouds hover over the Nidahas Trophy as Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency in the wake of communal tension. The emergency was declared on the day when the first match of the tri-nation T20I series - Nidahas Trophy - was scheduled between India and Sri Lanka at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. As per a press release by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is understood that situation in Colombo is under control, hence, the match will happen as per the schedule.

‘There have been reports of curfew and an emergency being called in Sri Lanka. The situation in the 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, reports timesnownews.com.

As per reports, the state of emergency has been declared for 10 days which also raises the question about the security of the Indian team. Besides Indian team, Bangladesh is the other team involved in the T20I series. The Nidahas Trophy as per schedule is supposed to begin today, March 6 and is to conclude with final slated on March 18. 

Sri Lanka earlier today had imposed fresh curfews and deployed heavily-armed police commandos to a central hill district popular with tourists where riots had left two dead and Muslim homes and businesses in ruins. Police extended a curfew in parts of Kandy, home to famous tea plantations and Buddhist relics after rioters disobeyed an overnight curfew and went on a rampage. The body of a Muslim man was pulled from the ashes of a burnt building Tuesday, police said, threatening to further fuel communal tensions that have flared up across the country in recent weeks.

A police spokesman said hundreds of commandos from the police Special Task Force had been deployed to the troubled district to restore order and enforce the curfew. Muslim homes, business and mosques were badly damaged in riots Monday triggered by the death of a Sinhalese man at the hands of a mob last week.

The Sinhalese are a mainly Buddhist ethnic group making up nearly three-quarters of Sri Lanka’s 21 million people. Muslims are just 10 percent of its population.