The three closed stands at the M A Chidambaram stadium here were de-sealed and opened on Friday (13th March), the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association said.

"The I, J, K stands at the M A Chidambaram stadium were de-sealed and opened today in the presence of the zonal officer of the Greater Chennai Corporation Ravikumar," TNCA Honorary Secretary R S Ramasaamy said in a press release.

The TNCA president and members expressed their gratitude to the government of Tamil Nadu, the release added.

The gymnasium at the Madras Cricket Club (MCC) was demolished recently to pave way for re-opening of the three stands.

The stands were sealed after the 2011 World Cup owing to various issues, depriving the city the opportunity to host matches at various events, including the World T20 in 2016 and the IPL final in 2019.

An exception was made when the stands were opened for an India-Pakistan ODI back in 2012.

After the demolition was completed, the TNCA obtained permission from the Chennai Corporation and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) for clearance for the three stands.

Earlier, TNCA got custody of the iconic Chidambaram stadium as it entered into a new lease agreement with the Tamil Nadu government.

CSK training suspended owing to coronavirus scare

Meanwhile Chennai Super Kings' practice sessions will stand suspended from Saturday in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic, it was announced on Friday.

The three-time IPL champions had commenced training from March 2 at the M A Chidambaram Stadium with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu getting down to work.

"Chennai Super Kings practice sessions at M A Chidambaram stadium stands suspended from March 14, considering the present COVID-19 situation," said a press release.

Earlier in the day, the BCCI announced the decision to suspend IPL 2020 till April 15 as a precautionary measure.

The 38-year old Dhoni has been training with the CSK players and the practice sessions have been drawing thousands of fans each day.

The talismanic CSK skipper has been the star attraction during the team's practice with fans expressing their love for the veteran. He indulged in some big hitting, much to the delight of the fans.

The others who took part in the team's net sessions were Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, who linked up with the squad a couple of days ago, Kedar Jadhav, new recruit Piyush Chawla, Karn Sharma, K M Asif and local players R Sai Kishore and N Jagadeesan among others.