CSK's Jaipur Connection

Dressed in yellow T-shirts and armed with yellow flags, they stand out from the other spectators patiently waiting outside the main gate at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, a couple of hours before the start of the match.

Most of the others are sporting pink, of course. This is the Rajasthan Royal territory, after all.

When asked, “Are you all from Chennai?”, “No,” says a bearded young man who looks like the leader of the group. “We are all from Jaipur. But we are supporters of Chennai Super Kings.”

Ankit Sharma is his name. An electronics engineering graduate, he is preparing for competitive examinations.

The others in the group are all from his family — sisters Monika and Aditi and cousin Sudarshan.

“CSK has been our favourite team always,” says Monika, who, too, is preparing for exams after working for Infosys as a software engineer. “And we all love M.S. Dhoni.”

Some six hours later, Dhoni makes all of them happy by leading a difficult chase to outwit Royals in a thrilling match that ends with the last ball. The captain kicks off a controversy, too, after entering the ground to debate with the umpires about a no ball bowled by Ben Stokes in the final over.

The Sharmas may be delighted, but our driver, Talat Ahamed, is furious that the Royals threw away a game that they should have won. “Imagine bowling a wide and a no ball in the last over!” he says. “I don’t know why Stokes was given that over.”

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