IPL 2026: Chennai fans beat the heat for Sunday cricket ritual

CHENNAI: Excitement, emotions and returns of local lads are on the menu for the attendees at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as Chennai Super Kings – on the back of a resounding win against Mumbai Indians – face a wounded Gujarat Titans side under the baking hot sun on Sunday. 

As Shubman Gill of the Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first, the fans here have the chance to witness another Sanju Samson classic. In the absence of Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel makes it into the playing XI. The hot sun has not deterred fans from coming to the match here. With three hours before the first ball, fans were seen patiently waiting outside the gates. Accompanying them are the strolling roadside vendors, trying to keep up with the marching fans with a new stock of merchandise. To counter the heat, these vendors brought paper fans, with faces of CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, Samson and former captain MS Dhoni printed on them. With Samson scoring a resounding century in Chennai Super Kings’ statement win against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, excitement is palpable in the air. Jerseys with ‘Samson 11’ are slowly taking up spaces amongst vendors and on the backs of fans. For instance, in a family of seven people donning the CSK jerseys, two have Samson’s name and number on the back, while the others have ‘Dhoni 7’ on the back. Another big performance from Samson, and that number of jerseys may well increase. While Samson’s performance may bring numbers into the stands, one man’s form they would like to see turn around is skipper Gaikwad. Groomed by CSK for the last seven years, Gaikwad has previously shown just how good he could be in previous campaigns. This season, he seems to be a shadow of his former self, scoring only 104 runs in seven matches so far. 

For CSK pacer Mukesh Choudhury, it will be an emotional return to Chepauk, days after his mother had passed away. He had shown his guile in CSK’s 103-run win over MI. Expect fans to back him.