Vijay’s party blows the whistle after cops silence Chennai match day must-carry

It turns out that before the T20 World Cup, the ICC had sent a note to all host venues with a list of banned items, which included the whistle. “The ICC list bans whistles so we didn’t allow the fans to go inside with them,” said a police officer.

The whistle holds a special place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, home of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, which came up with the popular “Whistle Podu” (Blow the whistle) slogan. Incidentally, Vijay’s last movie, GOAT (2024), featured a hit number which included a “Whistle Podu” reference.

The Election Commission had allotted the whistle as TVK’s poll symbol last month. Taking to X at the time, Vijay had called it “a symbol of victory” and an “expression of joy”.

On Sunday, those in the queue to enter the stadium were surprised by the police directive. “When they frisked me, they wanted to know if I had a whistle. Although I didn’t carry one, those in the queue ahead of me were not allowed to take whistles into the stadium,” S Arun, who was at the World Cup game, told this newspaper.

It now remains to be seen whether CSK fans will be allowed to carry whistles to the stadium for the BCCI’s IPL starting March-end.

Acknowledging that it was a delicate situation, CSK MD and CEO Kasi Viswanathan told The Indian Express: “We have not been told anything so far. A clear picture will emerge only when the code (model code of conduct) is out. For us, the ‘Whistle Podu’ tag is for supporting the franchise. We have to see how the situation evolves.”

In the past, police and stadium authorities have stopped spectators from displaying political messages. During the 2025 IPL, when Vijay’s fans carried their party’s flag into the stadium for a few matches, it was confiscated. The Chennai police had used AI and face-recognition software to identify those who entered the stadium with political placards and to catch mobile-phone thieves.