Fans excited as cricket returns to Chepauk

Appreciating good cricket, it was the Chennai fans who gave the Pakistan team a standing ovation, prompting them to go on a victory lap after India lost to them in a close match in 1999. The fans loved it when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag took the opposition to the cleaners but at the same time loved and appreciated Shane Warne bowling his lethal leg-spinners. 

Then came the Indian Premier League. Chennai Super Kings was in the blood of every cricketing fan. The stadium and the surroundings were painted with yellow graffiti and jerseys as the CSK players enjoyed a demi-God status in the city. The fans loved their cricketers and wars on social media supporting CSK was a familiar sight. Soon there was trouble in paradise. The stadium had an issue with three stands and CSK was banned for two years. The MA Chidambaram Stadium fell silent as the venue was ignored for the T20 World Cup earlier this year too, barring a couple of women’s matches.

With the advent of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, the stadium came alive again. It was a sense of ‘home-coming’ for the fans as they walked in to support domestic club cricket. Although fans trickled in at the start, they swelled as the game went on. Fans said they couldn’t miss to be a part of the extravaganza on Wednesday. “I had watched many matches at Chepauk and with no quality cricket here over the last one and half years, it was difficult as a cricket fan. The joy of watching a game live from the stadium is a unique experience every time,” said S Vinod, who works for an IT company in the city.

Sakthi Srinivasan, a doctor, said it was a lovely feeling for him to step into Chepauk again, in spite of his busy schedule. “It is a new league and I deem it my duty to support as it helps the budding cricketers. I remember how I walked into the same stadium during the first match of the IPL with doubts lingering on its sustainability. I am sure this league will follow suit too,” said Srinivasan. 

For some, the presence of stars from the tinsel town was an incentive. “Cricket and cinema are the two big things in the city. And when we can get a taste of both at the same place, there cannot be a better evening than this,” said Tamilazhagan, a CSK fan.