With two Indian Premier League trophies, two Champions League T20 trophies and with consecutive top four finishes over the course of IPL throughout the eight years, Chennai Super Kings is not only one of the most successful cricket franchises — but also boasts a loyal fan following around the globe. Right from ‘Thala’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy to Suresh Raina’s bundling energy; local boys Ravichandran Ashwin’s stingy spells and Subramaniam Badrinath’s rescue acts; and Matthew Hayden’s blitzkriegs with his ‘mongoose bat’ to name a few, there were innumerable moments to savour, for fans.
But good (okay, great) times had come to a temporary halt, as the Chennai-based IPL franchise was banned on 14 July 2015 for a period of two years, due to betting charges against the team owners. Over the course of these years, a few namma ooru fans completely stopped watching IPL, while others supported Rising Pune Supergiant just because of Dhoni’s presence in the team.
Now with the ban to be lifted officially today, DC speaks to hardcore fans of CSK as they share some of their nostalgic moments…
Who can forget ‘Drums’ Sivamani’s rocking performances at Chepauk that made both fans and cricketers dance to his beats? The musician excitedly says, “It’s a great feeling to know that the team will be back next year. I am excited to see the men in manjal (yellow) jersey.” He adds, “My association with them was fun and I pray that everything should go on smoothly for them here after. Personally, I would like to have Dhoni back in the team. During my interaction with him, I found him to be extremely patient. I would be okay even if he doesn’t come back — let’s give the opportunity to a new captain and nurture young talents. I wouldn’t forget the times I’ve performed at the ground and it was N Srinivasan, who gave me the opportunity and a new lease of life.”
For Anush Rajasekaran, co-founder of a food delivery startup, moments including a pumped-up Mahi’s dramatic final over finish versus Kings XI Punjab at Dharamsala (2010) and Albie Morkel going rampant in the penultimate over against Royal Challengers Bangalore (2012), still give him goosebumps. “I’ll always cherish these matches,” the 25-year-old says, and adds, “I can’t wait to go back to Chepauk when the matches start next year. I would, of course, want to see Dhoni leading again and will also look forward to seeing others who laid foundation for us — I would like to see Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith opening for us !”
Niveditha Sreenivasan, an ardent fan of Ravichandran Ashwin, exclaims, “I’m quite a selfish person — I would want to see the entire CSK family comeback and play for us! Among international cricketers, I would definitely want to see Faf du Plessis and Tim Southee in the yellow jerseys once again. Over the last two years, I only half-heartedly followed IPL. I would only watch RPS’ and Gujarat Lions’ matches now and again.”
Nivedita Shrinagesh, a sports executive, who echoes the same point of view, adds, “In those eight years of CSK, we have seen a lot of players come and go, but the craze of viewers has remained the same. During the ban, I would say I was loyal to Dhoni and Raina and in my mind, they were still CSK players — though they represented Pune and Gujarat respectively.”
Being a hardcore fan of Dhoni, V. Arun Gandhi, a city-based IT professional, says that he would be in a dilemma, if his favourite cricketer did not return to CSK — “That would leave me in a fix... being a Tamilian, I would always stay loyal to CSK, but will also hope Thala shines for whichever team he represents.” He concludes with his favourite MSD memory, “I got a chance to witness Dhoni in person when I was at the Chinnaswamy Stadium for a CLT20 match between Superkings and Perth Scorchers. He (Dhoni) smashed a hattrick of sixes and we went wild in the stands!”
