Wallajah Road was taken over by a massive crowd of people wearing the city’s now favourite yellow jersey on Saturday.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans from all over the city, and even rest of the State, gathered outside M.A. Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk to take part in a signature campaign in support of their demand to bring their favourite team back into Indian Premier League.
Standing out in the crowd was H. Saravanan, a die-hard fan of CSK and its captain M.S. Dhoni. He was painted in yellow and wore a black wig. ‘Dhoni and CSK’ were written all over him. “Fans are vexed after the team was suspended for two years. I have been supporting CSK for eight years. The support of fans is needed for any sport or tournament to survive. We are not protesting, but this is just a request from fans to allow the team to play,” said Mr. Saravanan, thronged by fellow fans.
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“The several thousand signatures we have collected from fans will be sent as a petition to the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Supreme Court,” he added.
Many fans wanted the team to play in the next IPL. “ We will do everything to bring our home team back into IPL,” S. said Adarsh, an engineering student from Kelambakkam.
The petition addressed to BCCI and the Supreme Court reads:
“Please let Chennai Super Kings participate in the forthcoming IPL seasons by removing the suspension against them. There is no evidence of match-fixing against the team and none of the players have been found guilty of any wrongdoing. Why should the team be suspended? Over the past eight years, the team has become an integral part of Tamil culture and has won the hearts of millions of cricket fans, not just within the State but also from across the country. Please don’t penalise the team for the wrongdoing of one individual. |
Yours sincerely, Fans of Chennai Super Kings. |