Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals back. But they need to win trust vote in 2018

New Delhi, December 14: That which does not kill us makes us stronger - Friedrich Nietzsche. Those words have a great deal of significance for both Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals - both of them will be returning to the Indian Premier League after a hiatus of two years.

Yes, Chennai Super Kings are the across-the-border favourites in the IPL, largely owing to their brand of cricket and the presence of MS Dhoni. Rajasthan Royals have been the epitome of maximising the talent - minimum expenditure and maximum result.

Yet, both the teams have a dark spot in their history. They were absent from the IPL because of the involvement of players/administrators in fixing.

Upon their return, both CSK and RR have rules in their favour. They can retain some of their marquee players so that the fans can connect with them that much easier.

So, we can expect that the exterior will be more or less same unless they opt for a major overhaul.

But is that enough? Can they erase the tainted pages of history just by fielding the old faces?

They need to win the trust of fans back. Certainly, a large number of supporters will turn out, particularly in the MA Chidambaram Stadium, to cheer for them. It's the saddest part of sports.

However, great and mighty you have been in the past, you need to keep proving in front of the world. Even the slightest falter will be viewed as your finishing line.

Here, both Chennai and Rajasthan are coming back after getting banished for the most menacing evil in cricket - fixing. There are possibilities that doubters still persist among the public.

Two consecutive no-balls. A defeat in a tight encounter. An unusual run out. All of them can spark the dirty imagination, and all those elements are bound to happen at one stage of the IPL.

That's a fact both the teams will have to live with at least in the 2018 edition of the league. They need to take the smirks and sniggers in their stride and dish out cricket that was ingrained in their DNA.

Then there are is an interesting sub-plot too. Dhoni is almost certain to lead the CSK out next year and he is not the Dhoni when the Chennai outfit played in the IPL last time.

He is no longer the India skipper - the omnipotent force that shaped the fortune of his franchise and the country. That role is now with Virat Kohli. In 2015, there were no concerns about Dhoni's place in the team nor the people were openly discussing his retirement.

But now, it's all happening. Every outing of this 36-year-old cricketer is being closely watched, analysed threadbare by pundits and plebians. Perhaps, Dhoni never faced such intense scrutiny in his career.

The Chennaiites will back their 'thala' (chief) come whatever may be. The social media messages asking for Dhoni's availability on the day when CSK was readmitted were a proof of that. But that's more out of sentiments.

Beyond the fan world, the aura around him is not so bright as it once was and it will require nothing less than a forceful effort - as a player and captain from Dhoni.

Both Chennai and Rajasthan have given dramatic moments for us in plenty - on and off the field. On their return, let's hope that such moments are restricted to the sporting realm.

They had fallen. Now, it's a chance for them to rise for the fall has not killed them.