The Indian Premier League is a certified carnival that caravans through the sprawling acres of the sub-continental Indian nation once a year giving the cricket-mad country a glimpse of the glitz and glamour of international stars standing shoulder-to-shoulder with up-and-coming promising talent.
The faithful have been treated to multiple awe-inspiring moments of sporting greatness that have lifted mortal beings to cult status and nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the Southern city of Chennai, home of the joint-most successful side in the history of the T20 extravaganza.
The partisan crowd in the Tamil Nadu capital city has time and again redefined what it means to be a team faithful with their vociferous shows and genius tifos that personify the adulation they harbour for the city’s adopted son and Chennai Super Kings’ former skipper MS Dhoni.
Pop-culture references through music and visual spectacles altered to fit ‘Thala’ embellish the hallowed MA Chidambaram Stadium stood around the famous Marina corner every time the yellow army took the field.
A walk through Wallajah Road is usually enough to set the tone for a game day at the Den with the stands unanimously painted in yellow, but the playoffs of the 2024 season are certain to be a bit different, with some breathing space for passersby, as Chennai have been knocked out of the running for the coveted title, a rare instance in itself.
A sense of lull engulfed the city as CSK were ousted by noisy neighbours Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final group stage fixture, taking the wind out of the sails of the devoted populace that calls the city home.
However, Chennai is known to be the land of cricket purism, with the city holding a special place in the annals of cricketing lore for its unabashed and unbiased take on sport. A place which holds classical Test cricket in high regard moved with time to embrace the growing culture of T20 cricket, aided by the unparalleled success of CSK.
And it is only befitting that the city which acknowledged the nation’s heated rivals, Pakistan, with a standing ovation even before the times of gentrification was a legitimate thing, sticks to its ethos of bestowing credit where due.
Nearly 30,000 (29,225) people thronged to the illustrious stadium to witness Rajasthan Royals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second playoff game, to earn a berth in the summit clash against already qualified Kolkata Knight Riders.
Despite the visibly empty seats at certain corners of the stadium, the sporting action on the field was appreciated by the huge diaspora hailing from the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The confluence between the states has deep roots dating back to years even before the turn of the millennia with a shared history of cinema and entertainment.
However, it wasn’t all orange as streaks of pink adorned the beach-front stadium with fans draped in the eye-catchy shades of the inaugural edition champions, Rajasthan, flocked to the ground to voice their support for the side from halfway across the nation.
Alas, the RR unit receives a special dose of support due to their poster boy and captain Sanju Samson, hailing from another neighbouring state of TN, and of course, the hometown lad Ravichandran Ashwin, who embodies the art of cricket being a game played in the mind rather than across the 22-yards.
With fireworks and smoke machines in place to set off during every notable instance in the game, the noise from the stands thumped the visual presentation.
Of course, the partisan Chennai crowd ensured that the name of the World Cup winner echoed every now and again as the emcees pepped up the crowd. But, their admiration for the quality of cricket on display at MAC shone through as the onlookers greeted the acts involving the leather, be it off the willow or a bowler’s hand, with raucous adulation.
In a testament to the regard with which the sultry city holds the game in, it wouldn’t be remiss to state that the fabled Chennai ground serves as the optimal ‘neutral’ location to hold a game of cricket.
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