It’s whistle podu time: Catch the cricket frenzy as IPL returns for another season

With the Indian Premier League kickstarting this week, cricket fever is back in the air. Fans are gearing up to watch the IPL matches every evening.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni strode into Chennai’s MA Chidambaram ground, accompanied by the crowd’s cheers and whistles. The atmosphere was electric, the noise deafening.

Only, it wasn’t a cricket match featuring the Chennai Super Kings. It was a mere practise session.

Just another cricketing drill for Dhoni. A priceless memory for his ardent fans, however.

The love affair between Chennai and Dhoni is one that bloomed way way back in 2008 when the idea of a cricketing premier league was mooted and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was born. Fifteen years later, the relationship has become stronger. The upcoming 2023, rumoured to be his last outing in the IPL, is bound to be an important one for Thala — as he is fondly called by fans in Tamil Nadu. It is also an important season for all other franchises and fans, whose evenings are bound to get more exciting with cricketing action dominating TV screens.

Subramaniam Badrinath, Former CSK player

Subramaniam Badrinath dreads the month of March. “It isn’t really an enjoyable month, is it,” he asks, over a call. “If you’re a student, you worry about exams. If you’re an adult, you worry about taxes.”

But the end of the month marks good times ahead, he says, as the IPL — which has cricket lovers peering into their TV screens intensely — makes a comeback to liven up your evenings. “People suddenly start looking forward to the evenings. With a lot of social bonding over cricket, it is almost like a festival.”