Winning back hearts CSK’s focus
It is only fitting that Chennai Super Kings’ first match in three years happens to be against Mumbai Indians, the same side they had played in the 2015 IPL final before being banned for two years. That title clash at Eden Gardens was reduced to a side show by the shadow of the betting scandal.
For their fans it will be an emotional moment when Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads his troops out in yellow. It’s a kind of rebirth for the yellow brigade. What it means to their older players and the team management was for everyone to see in their training at the Wankhede Stadium three days ahead of the opener. Kasi Viswanathan, the team boss, and the trusted lieutenant of former BCCI president N Srinivasan, wore a content smile.
Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the two pillars of the CSK, beat the pulp out of the net bowlers and Ravindra Jadeja kept slogging away at one of the nets. The intensity was impressive. Stephen Fleming, Mike Hussey and L Balaji, player-turned support staff, were overseeing the operations with alacrity. With their core group intact, CSK will be eager to re-establish their dominance in the tournament. More than anything, the pressure on CSK is to win the trust of the fans back.
And the CSK members know that. Back home in Chennai, they are leaving no stone unturned to maximize their connect with fans. They have got their players actively involved in promotional activities over the last week, and even travelled in an open top bus to practice to woo fans. Before the betting scandal blotted their record, CSK were known for their entertaining brand of cricket. If they can reproduce that old magic on the field, half the battle to win over the hearts will be done.
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