CSK’s ‘Roar 26’: Nostalgia, Dhoni buzz and an AR Rahman concert light up Chepauk before IPL 2026

Chepauk was wrapped successful a cricketing clip capsule – 1 wherever the past and the contiguous met.

The hallowed MA Chidambaram cricket ground has seen thrilling sporting clashes, acknowledgment to it hosting immoderate large India and Chennai Super Kings matches. But Sunday evening was astir thing different: celebrating what the men successful yellowish person meant to Chennaiites implicit the years.

It was, successful galore ways, a pat connected the backmost for the 20,000 radical assembled to witnesser ‘Roar 26’. A oversea of yellowish engulfed Chepauk arsenic passionate fans brought retired the whistles — not conscionable for this curtain raiser for the upcoming IPL 2026, but besides for a philharmonic performance by AR Rahman. Here, cardinal highlights from the ‘Roar 26’ event, held astatine Chepauk connected Sunday evening:

Nostalgia stirred

Other cities person cricket franchises. Chennai has an emotion — the Chennai Super Kings. One to which each subordinate returns, years aft moving distant from cricket, and immoderate adjacent a decennary aft moving connected to different franchises. That astir apt explains wherefore players similar Mutthiah Muralidharan, Joginder Sharma, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo and Michael Hussey — fewer of the names that person contributed importantly to the occurrence of the squad implicit the years — lined up to person a affable cricketing clash with the existent CSK squad.

Watching the OG squad successful enactment got each cricketing instrumentality successful the stadium spell down representation lane. “These players were an integral portion of my growing-up years,” says Rakesh M, a instrumentality from Ashok Nagar, “As fans, we present backmost antithetic players, but erstwhile you look backmost astatine our franchise’s history, these are the OG stars that started the fandom.” With seasoned Muralidharan bowling to the existent sensation, Sanju Samson, adjacent arsenic MS Dhoni crouched debased down the stumps, Chennai slipped into a antithetic decade.

‘Chinna Thala’ bonds with ‘Thala’

If the metropolis took connected to MS Dhoni successful a large way, adjacent calling him ‘Thala’ wherever helium went, his trusted lieutenant was nary different than ‘Chinna Thala’ Suresh Raina. Chennai’s emotion matter with Raina — fondly dubbed Mr IPL — has lasted respective years and the large cheers helium received astatine the ground, thing that spectators usually reserve lone for Dhoni, showcased however overmuch helium means to the city.

Along with Matthew Hayden, Raina was inducted into the franchise’s first-ever Hall of Fame. Part of 4 IPL-winning CSK squads successful the past, Raina stated, “CSK is the champion franchise and they person the champion fans successful the world. The assemblage present is precise knowledgeable — they cognize their cricket — and person been truthful supportive to the squad implicit the years; that’s wherefore we got each those trophies.”

Practice makes perfect

In 2018-19, erstwhile Team CSK practised astatine Chepauk successful the evenings earlier the commencement of the tournament, thousands of fans enthusiastically cheered them. The show of much than 12,000 fans lining up conscionable to ticker a signifier lucifer had the cricketing assemblage crossed the satellite successful awe.

Sunday evening presented a akin experience, with the existent squad of 2026, including the likes of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Noor Ahmed, getting immoderate clip astatine the nets, which Chennai cheered with overmuch fervour.

A antithetic pitch

Post the cricketing highlights and nostalgia, the signifier was acceptable for music. If Asal Kolaar and Paal Dabba got the assemblage grooving to fashionable tracks similar ‘Makamishi’ and ‘Paiya Dei’, the Mozart of Madras, AR Rahman, kickstarted with an energetic ‘Yuva’, pursuing by Shweta Mohan-driven melodies (‘Nenjinile’ and ‘Munbe Vaa’), dedicated to Sanju Samson and Suresh Raina. The loudest cheers were dedicated to the fashionable ‘Nee Singam Dan’ tracks, with the cameras panning connected MS Dhoni vibing to the way on with his daughter.

Actor Sivakarthikeyan, who said helium was invited arsenic a typical of CSK fans, turned into a fanboy arsenic helium excitedly shook hands with Dhoni, Sanju and posed for photographs with the team. “I unrecorded 25 kilometres from Chepauk – connected the ECR – but whenever Dhoni walks in, I tin perceive the sound backmost home. I americium conscionable 1 of the galore fans present who person been inspired by his enactment skills. IPL tin beryllium astir entertainment, but CSK has ever been an emotion and family,” said the actor, referring to Dhoni arsenic Mufasa and existent skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, arsenic Simba.

Singling retired the latest CSK entrant Sanju Samson, affectionately called ‘Cheta’ by fans, helium said, “We each cognize of the bonding betwixt Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Malayalam films are hits here. All the heroines from Kerala are superhits here. And now, you are a cricketer from Kerala representing Chennai... you are a blockbuster.”

The people of 2026 is new. Prashant Veer, Karthik Sharma and Sarfaraz Khan are immoderate of the breathtaking caller players to ticker retired for. . The faces whitethorn person changed, but the emotion and content remains the same. This IPL 2026, the whistles are back.