After completing their two years suspension, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise is all set to make a comeback in the new season the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the adulation for the CSK stars shows no glimpses of fading away despite the franchise being dysfunctional for the last 2 years.
While MS Dhoni is adorably known as ‘Thala’ in Chennai, even Suresh Raina has a great fan following there and is nicknamed as ‘Chinna Thala’. Both these stars are the most followed cricketers in the city ever since the inception of the T20 league. To play in the Buchi Babu tournament, Raina was back in the city as he captained team Uttar Pradesh.
When Raina was playing against Mumbai at the SRMC ground in Porur, hundreds of fans gathered around the ground to cheer for him and even tried to rush into the field during breaks to take a selfie with their ‘Chinna Thala’.
“Cricket fans here are crazy about Raina. In Murugappa also, it was tough to restrict fans. They all love him. He posed for selfies and greeted them. But then security is our biggest concern. So we try to ensure things don’t get out of hand,” said an official of the tournament.
