The teams off to the worst starts– Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super– Kings (CSK) are also the ones enjoying most support in IPL 15. For MI, it’s not unexpected as all their matches have virtually been home games; four in their own den Wankhede and the rest also in Maharashtra. But four-time winners CSK have also felt at home, having painted the stands yellow, every time they have stepped on the field.
With the roar in the stadiums back, 25 per cent to begin with and now 50 per cent, the tournament has rediscovered some zing that canned noise in empty venues couldn’t provide. But for teams other than the two most successful franchises, the crowd seems to come only to enjoy the action as neutrals. No thunder of support, no stadium-shaking sound.
Dhoni mania
Shivam Dube’s dismissal in the closing stages of CSK’s innings at Brabourne stadium against Lucknow Super Giants was welcomed by both set of supporters. LSG’s small bunch in turquoise blue was happy, but the yellow army was getting hysterical because MS Dhoni was walking out to replace Dube. As Dhoni began to middle his hits, the noise level in the stands reached a crescendo. They simply couldn’t believe their luck that their 40-year-old hero was still at it, entertaining them at a stadium that is a stone’s throw away from the Wankhede where he created history for India in 2011.
“The team has enjoyed loyal fan support from the very beginning,” said Kasi Viswanathan, CEO, CSK. “Even when we missed out (suspended) for two years, the fans had remained with us.”
{{/usCountry}}“The team has enjoyed loyal fan support from the very beginning,” said Kasi Viswanathan, CEO, CSK. “Even when we missed out (suspended) for two years, the fans had remained with us.”
{{/usCountry}}“Of course, everything revolves around MS,” he said. Since the time, CSK picked Dhoni, then the India captain and winner of the 2007 T20 World Cup, he has become Chennai’s adopted son. At the Chepauk, 12,000 spectators had come to see him practice in the team’s first training session once they returned from suspension. CSK nurture this Dhoni-mania by working in coordination with WhistlePodu Army, a registered CSK fan club. “They get in touch with the CSK management. We book tickets for them. They also have their own ways of arranging funds. Certain number of people travel to whichever venue the team participates,” said Viswanathan. When CSK had to move its home matches from Chennai to Pune in 2018, a special train carried fans there.
In MI’s case, the franchise’s remarkable track record, superstar presence from Sachin Tendulkar to Rohit Sharma has ensured an always-energetic crowd for home matches. Over the years, for a number of reasons, MI have played at Brabourne, DY Patil and Pune’s MCA stadium and it’s all translating into an overall home ground experience this season. “Many franchises felt that Mumbai should not get to play in Mumbai. My thoughts are that they should try to build 3-4 stadiums in their cities,” Rohit Sharma had quipped at the start of the tournament.
Neutral support
While crowd has been noisy in their support of MI, technically all IPL matches have been neutral games, with BCCI being the organisers and gate money going to them. Therefore, the usual frenzy at merchandising points inside stadium, mad-rush over flags, jerseys and samosas has been missing. Some franchises had sought permission for franchise fan parks outside stadium, but the proposal was shot down amid Covid restrictions.
The mega auction has resulted in a rejig in most sides and some of MI’s established players like the Pandya brothers and Quinton de Kock are with different teams. But their individual popularity is yet to rub off in a big way for the benefit of their new teams. Hardik Pandya, leading Gujarat Titans this year is the only one who attracts some fan following.
While franchise sponsor representatives and owners ensure every team has some cheerleaders, they are not the ones who sit in the general stands and make noise. “We run contests and gratify people by getting them together at the stadium to cheer for us as a group. We have 50-60 people sitting together every match which we call the fan Army,” said Arvinder Singh, COO, Gujarat Titans. “We would have loved to fill our home stadium with 1,00,000 people cheering for us in our first year. Unfortunately, with that not possible, I think the teams playing the best cricket have found support.”
Singh also believes the new teams have an advantage of not carrying any baggage from the past and it’s up to their players to play a brand of cricket that will win them fans. Among existing teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have found sizable support at all four venues. That’s straight down to Virat Kohli. His No.18 jersey has been a sell-out, every time RCB have played.