CHENNAI: "He hopes he plays soon this season," was what Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said when asked about former captain and franchise legend MS Dhoni's availability. The MA Chidambaram Stadium erupted in excitement, knowing that the wait will be over soon.
For Saturday, the CSK fans donning the number seven on their backs thronged in numbers, as CSK take on Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. As the five-time winners come in desperate for a win, the fans are ensuring that their support spurs the players.
As early as 5.45 pm, the fans in patches across the stadium made sure the noise decibels remained high, with their whistles. Outside the stadium, fans were swarming the streets to enter their seats. What caught most of their eyes is the jersey sellers trying to bring different colours along with yellow, which remains to be the identity of CSK.
A few vendors had sold CSK jerseys which were black and yellow, a concept version which was shared largely on social media. While Chennai may have not had the best of starts to the season, the fans keep their hopes up, as most of them have seen how they have risen from the depths in 2010, when they lost five of their first seven games.
This match, like their previous home game against Punjab Kings, is more than just a match. The team would be itching themselves to put on a show against a Delhi side which suffered heartbreak against Gujarat Titans. The long-awaited return of South African batter Dewald Brevis has got the fans excited, but what they needed the most was Sanju Samson to step up. And Samson did just that giving CSK a quickfire start for the first time this season.