Wait over for CSK super-fan Saravanan Hari as his team returns to IPL

Cricket brings with itself a host of people who love the game at a whole different level; they practically live and breathe it. One such super-fan is Saravanan Hari who has supported the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for years now. Although his favourite team had been out of action for the last 2 seasons owing to the ban handed by the RM Lodha Panel, he’s extremely excited as CSK is all set to the take the field in 2018’s IPL.

In spite of the next IPL being around seven months away, Saravanan cannot help but be delighted at the prospect of being able to cheer for his team again. A permanent feature at the Chepauk Stadium with yellow paint smeared all over his torso and the words ‘CSK’ and ‘Dhoni’ inscribed on it, the unofficial team mascot’s joy knew no bounds when Dhoni posted a picture on Instagram of himself wearing a yellow shirt with the name ‘Thala’ etched on its back. Quite understandably, he’s a huge MS Dhoni fan and feels that Chennai is ready to welcome their hero back.

CSK super-fan happy that his team is back

“Chennai Super Kings is not just a team, it’s family. It was very difficult to spend two years not watching them play here. For two years, the IPL was boring. I didn’t stop following cricket though. Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions were my teams for those two years. My allegiance shifted with the players. It was automatic,” said Saravanan. Notably, major players like Dhoni and Suresh Raina had been drafted into these two teams from the suspended teams of CSK and Rajasthan Royals.

Saravanan, on his part, is a logistics manager at a private firm and gets to follow his passion for cricket while being on paid leave whenever CSK play in Chennai. “My boss always ensures that,” he said. The ardent follower has watched every CSK match in Chennai since 2009 and has preserved the ticket of every IPL match he has seen at the Chepauk. When asked about the number of such stubs, he said, “The count is above 50. But I’m not so sure.”

However, the 31-year old puts in painstaking efforts to get ready for each match. Saravanan spends five hours on an average to look the part of a die-hard fan. As reported by Hindustan Times, Hari said, “For an 8 pm match, I start preparing from 2.30 pm. It takes me three hours to paint myself. Removing it takes an hour and 45 minutes. I try to reach by 6pm-7pm because I have to stand the entire duration of the match.”