Chennai sport leagues attract big names

Suhail Chandhok, former cricketer and sports presenter, said that the league format had become a huge success, especially after the popularity of the home team, Chennai Super Kings, in the Indian Premier League (IPL). “What the league system has done is brought in a whole new section of audience to the stadiums. Be it the IPL or the ISL, there are children, who are watching the matches with their grandparents. There are many women, who are now coming to the stadium.

It is not only avid fans but also others, who don’t really follow the sport keenly, but are now watching the league matches. The aspect of new viewers — more children, women and youngsters — watching the games is always a good thing for the sport,” he explained.

The city, which hosts the Chennai Open, the country’s only ATP event, has attracted top names in the tennis circuit. From Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya to Stan Wawrinka, Chennai’s tennis fans have watched some top class tennis here. Vijay Amritraj’s Champions Tennis League (CTL) promises more action, with the newly inaugurated home team, V Chennai warriors, in the fray. Ajai Selvaraj, Head Coach at Power Pak Academy, said Chennai’s passion for sport made it ideal for team owners to invest here.

“Chennai is a hub for tennis and has produced some quality players. And the audience is knowledgeable about the sport and make it a point to watch the matches,” he pointed out.

Ramachandran Sriram, football analyst and manager of a tactical and statistical website, Chelsea Index, said he was surprised by the popularity of the ISL in Chennai.

“Chennai has never been known as a footballing city. But the ISL turnout has been a huge surprise. The official turnout has been around 20,000 for every home match, which is a full house. I think the people have taken to the league and the home team very well. Now, they know their players. For instance, when Stiven Mendoza, Elano Blumer or Bernard Mendy are about the score, you could hear the audience chanting their names. I think Chennai and the sport fans here have that value, which attracts team owners into investing here,” he said.

So, is it Brand Chennai that draws in the investors? Suhail, who has presented the ISL, Pro Kabbadi, Hockey India League and many more, said that sports was ingrained in the core of the city.

“Chennai is a very cultural and sporting city. The team owners know that the city will come out in full strength to show support to the home team for each game — a key factor. The support Chennai has shown is fantastic,” he said.