5 reasons why CSK has such a mass following

Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most followed sports team in India. The fanfare when they take the field and the disappointment when they don't is unparallel. The team has been led by India's most successful wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Chennai Super Kings did not get an icon local player at the inaugural IPL edition in 2008 like Rahul Dravid (RCB), Sachin Tendulkar (MI) and Sourav Ganguly (KKR), still through auctions and strategized team building, it carved a niche of its own in coming years.

Chennai Super Kings have managed to build a cult-like following. This article tries to explain the possible reasons for the growth of such die-hard fans across the country for Chennai Super Kings in the last one decade.

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#1 What is change? We only know legacy

IPL governing council and the franchises have always supported the need to retain the core group of players so that the fan loyalty stays on. Chennai Super Kings have lived and played by this mantra of retaining their 'stable core'. Fans have had the opportunity to support their favorite CSK players consistently over seasons.

Captain Cool: In the history of Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings is the only team to have been lead by the same captain in all its seasons. This was when veteran stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid had all captained their respective teams and have retired. Whereas MS Dhoni will still be leading CSK for the record 9th season as its undisputed captain.

Suresh Raina has played the highest number of matches for CSK (132 matches)

Players: CSK has always tried to retain its core through the seasons and in its playing XI. Players like Suresh Raina (132 matches), Ravichandran Ashwin (97 matches), Subramaniam Badrinath (95 matches), Ravindra Jadeja (70 matches), Murali Vijay (64 matches) have formed their backbone in multiple editions.

Overseas players like Stephen Fleming, Mike Hussey who played for CSK in the inaugural IPL season in 2008 are still around as support staff. Even the local lad Lakshmipathy Balaji is retained as their bowling coach.The camaraderie of this team is something envious to every professional cricketer.

A picture of the reunion of Chennai Super Kings players when the team was defunct in 2016

Jersey: Even their jersey has undergone the least changes compared to other teams in the IPL. The India Cements as their t-shirt sponsor has been a regular feature, whereas teams like RCB has seen around 15 changes in its sponsors. So definitely the motto is 'Old is Gold' to maintain a loyal fan base.

#2 Tamil identity

Tamil Nadu is the land that takes immense pride in its centuries-old culture and more so its language. The Tamil identity is strongly expressed in their lifestyle, movies, and mannerisms. The owners of Chennai Super Kings have built the brand with a brilliant blend of all the local flavor mentioned above.

Theme song: Whistle Podu composed by Aravind Murali and Jaishankar Iyer is the Chennai Super Kings' theme song. The entire song lyrics are in Tamil accompanied by an entertaining video of dappangutthu, a form of local street dance. The song has attained cult status since its release and the very introductory music of the song creates goosebumps for many IPL fans. While most of the franchises came out with theme songs in English, CSK stood out with its Tamil connect.

MS Dhoni is revered as 'Thala' (Sir in English) and Suresh Raina as 'Chinna Thala' (Junior Sir in English) by CSK fans out of affection and respect.

Stadium: M A Chidambaram stadium which hosts CSK's home matches has always (barring 2009) priced its tickets at a relatively cheaper price compared to other stadiums. This has opened up the gates further than just the elite class to come in and watch the games. Families, women, and young men could throng the stadium more often. Various Tamil movie celebrities can always be spotted at the stadium cheering their favorite team. The local maestro Sivamani playing the drums on the boundary lines of Chepauk after each boundary scored by a CSK player is a delight to experience only at this magnificent stadium. Be it advertisements, tweets or any interaction with the fans, CSK has constantly tried to hold on to the local cultural flavor.

#3 Vibrant Social Media

The social media presence of CSK is the most vibrant of all the other IPL teams. Their accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts are very engaging and innovative. Chennai Super Kings have 11.9 million followers on Facebook, 4 million followers on Twitter and 5 million on Instagram. The language used again is a blend of Tamil and English. Their social media is abuzz all through, right from covering the pre-auction retentions, auctions, ticket sales and to their practice matches.

Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja signing the retention contract.for 2019 IPL

In fact, the Chennai Super Kings social media was still running when the team was defunct for 2 years. Such has been the meticulous work done by its social media team.The Twitter and Instagram handle of Chennai Super Kings players are extremely active and creative as well. The effort and intent to engage with fans genuinely is evident in their interactions.

Imran Tahir's tweet in Tamil to CSK fans

#4 Success and glory

Chennai Super Kings dominance and consistency in T20s are often compared to erstwhile Windies under Clive Llyod and the Aussies of the 2000s. In 8 editions of IPL that Chennai Super Kings have played, here are their records:

Winners - 2 times

Finalists - 2 times

Play-offs or post league stage - on all 8 occasions

Champions League - 2 times winners, a 1-time semi-finalist

The ability of its players to grab victory from the jaws of defeat and making spectacular comebacks from tough situations have been their X-factor. This certainly has added more cricket loving fans to the CSK club.

#5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Thala

MS Dhoni was the costliest player bought at the inaugural IPL auction in 2008 for a whopping sum (then) of $1.5 million. He was instantly named the captain of the side. From then on Dhoni has been the adopted son of Chennai.The rise of Dhoni and CSK has always been a parallel story. The city goes head over heels for his hairstyles, cricketing strokes, and his on-field demeanor. He has led them fair and with flair.

Dhoni's skill sets: Dhoni has gifted them with some wonderful memories all through his career in the form of blistering cameos, insanely quick stumpings, unorthodox field placings, unique bowling combinations and what not. Chennai Super Kings team-sheet cannot be imagined without his name on the starting XI. The desperation for his presence was witnessed when the team owner struck his neck out and announced in 2009 that they would be willing to bid any amount for Dhoni if he had to go into the auction. The value he adds to the team is intangible.

Pan-India fan base: Dhoni's charismatic leadership attracts fans from across the nation. His fan base has only added more to the kitty of Chennai Super Kings. It would not be surprising if you find MS Dhoni's statue installed on the shores of Marina beach along with the other stalwarts some day in near future. His legacy and that of CSK is still a story in the making.

The essence of any sport lies in the emotions it kindles in the hearts of its fans and we should be happy about Cricket, Indian Premier League and Chennai Super Kings for doing exactly that.