Not a packed house? You got to be kidding

It was almost taken for granted that a full house at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium would welcome the men in yellow in the second qualifier match against Delhi Daredevils.

But even as late as 15 minutes before the start of play, there were plenty of vacant spaces in the stands. The euphoric buzz was, as a result, down by a few notches.

Even the three new stands that were thrown open to the public weren't completely occupied.

]That the tickets for the new stands were made available to the public only on the eve of the match was cited as one of the reasons for the not-so-heavy turnout.

However, by the time the game started, more people had filled the stadium.

What seemed a little odd, though, was that there was no splitting-at-the-seams situation with Chennai Super Kings playing a knockout match.

The local connect

Delhi Daredevils' selection decisions attracted quite a bit of chatter even before the game's commencement. The absence of Morne Morkel, in particular, raised a few eyebrows.

Daredevils also made an intriguing decision by drafting in off-spinner Sunny Gupta.

The Jamshedpur-born bowling all-rounder plies his trade with Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit.

He also turns out for Globe Trotters in the Chennai first division league.

The logic of his selection, it appeared, was to utilise his knowledge of the local conditions.

But sadly for him and his team, Gupta received a mauling at the hands of Murali Vijay.