#Yellove is a hashtag, an acronym of Yellow + Love , coined by, ‘The Yellow Brigade’, fans of the IPL Cricket Team, ‘Chennai Super Kings’, or CSK as they are better known as.
CSK is undoubtedly the most popular team of all the IPL Teams. It has many reasons for being so but their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one big reason. Chennai-ites have conferred Dhoni with the title ‘Thala’ which means Boss or Leader.
If you ever watch an IPL Match live , do watch one where CSK is playing, preferably in Chennai. And oh, don’t forget to carry your earplugs. Why? The moment Thala steps on to the field you’ll know what #WhistlePodu (to whistle) means, literally! The fans go beserk and Thala! Dhoni! Thala! Dhoni! are chanted like a prayer! The shrill sound of hundreds of whistles pierces the air. It took a while for my hearing to get back to normal, after watching a CSK Match in the stadium.
To say that Chennai loves Dhoni would be an understatement. Each time Dhoni hits a boundary, or a six or conjures some magic with quick thinking or super quick reflexes behind the wickets #AnbuDen (with love) flashes on the screen.
It does not matter which team plays against CSK when they play in Chennai. The entire stadium has only one color, Yellow! And the ‘DHONI’ with an accompanying number 7 are the most sold T-shirts outside the stadium.
In 2018, due to the Cauvery Management Board Issue, the IPL matches to be played in Chennai were moved to Pune, leaving the fans heart-broken. This is when the CSK Management arranged for and sponsored a special Train, The Whistle Podu Express, for the fans. Fans were carefully chosen by the CSK Fan Club heads and the train them took them to Pune to watch their Team play! Howzzat!
When Chennai Super Kings were suspended for 2 years, for the alleged involvement of their owners in the IPL Betting Case, a lot of Chennai-ites did not watch the IPL at all. ‘It just doesn’t feel the same’ was the common emotion.
CSK is back, as is Thala, and it’s the season for Whistle Podu once again!
Anbu Den!
Written for the theme
My A to Z of Chennai: The City Viewed Through An Outsiders Eye
Loved the title and the sentiment you’ve expressed here. To be honest, Delhi had a similar fervour for its IPL team when the league began, but now the love has all but gone!
Loved the title, though heard it few times reading it on your blog gave a different feeling
From a CSK for life fan, I stopped watching IPL once after KKR dropped Dada (my loyalty shifted that very moment from Kolkata to Chennai) and after CSK were suspended for two years. So happy that MS is back with the Chennai squad this year.
Very interesting read.I am not an IPL fan and lost faith after the betting thing.Dhoni is a story with a hefty dose of unsolved mystery
Whistlepodu 🙂 loved this one Mayuri, got to learn new words Whistelpodu and Thala..Waah! The excitement and the thrill are prominent in your narration. I am not much of a cricket fan but yes I do feel the chills during IPL fever all around.
thala ls the name bleeding yellow 🙂
Ohh so this was the reason behind your tweet today. Well Dhoni has certainly made Chennai as his second home and done true justice to that. Plus the love he gets is incredible from Chennai. I love the Yellove.
#ContemplationOfaJoker #Jokerophilia
This was fun! It is crazy to see all the wonderful things that fans do for Dhoni!
This was fun! It is crazy to see all the wonderful things that fans do for Dhoni!
I loved you brought in CSK and Dhoni at Y. It’s a pleasant surprise. Love for their CSK Thala was worth reading dear.
I am sure being in Chennai and watching a CSK match would be like a festival.
They have a huge following across country but Chennai being the home ground, one can imagine the garmajoshi.
I truly believe Cricket unites India. IPL has fervour for the cricket lovers, ain’t surprise at the love of the fans