IPL 2018: Passionate CSK fans throng Chepauk as 'Thala' MS Dhoni trains - Watch

Chennai, March 28: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is undoubtedly the most popular name in Indian cricket and the craze grows manifolds when he sports the 'Yellow Jersey'. MS Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise, returned to his second home and the fans couldn't control their happiness.

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To prepare for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, the CSK players visited their den i.e. the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the first time to practice.

The cricketers gave a wonderful surprise to their fans in Chennai city as they travelled to the stadium in an open bus. Fans couldn't hide their excitement as they got a glimpse of their 'Thala' and his men. They hysteric fans escorted the team bus to the Chepauk.

Also, thousands of CSK fans thronged the stadium just to watch the team practice ahead of the upcoming season. It was a festive atmosphere at the Chepauk as CSK fans gathered in huge numbers and cheered their favourite cricketers. But as expected, the biggest noise was reserved for 'Thala' Dhoni.

By the time Dhoni stepped into the nets the stands, opened for the public for the day, were almost filled to their capacity and the deafening chants of 'Dhoni-Dhoni' reverberated in the entire arena. The chant of the crowd almost gave a feeling as if it were a live cricket match being played and not a practice session.

The crowds were entertained to their fullest as the 36-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman hit some huge shots during his net session.

Here are a few images and video of Thala and CSK's outing at Chepauk:

Big crowd gathering just for training!! So much excitement from the CSK fans. pic.twitter.com/2Y3d5NxdJV
— Stephen Fleming (@SPFleming7) March 28, 2018

Big crowd gathering just for training

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Flemming tweeted an image of the fans gathered outside the stadium just to see their favourite cricketers practice.

Going for our first practice session in open bus.. how cool 😎 #whistlepodu 👌👌🏏🏆 pic.twitter.com/AzpH9bDIrK
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) March 28, 2018

Team travels in an open bus

Harbhajan Singh, the newest entrant in the CSK family, tweeted an image of the team travelling in an open team bus to the stadium.

Mahi maar rahe hai! @msdhoni #Thala #WhistlePodu 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/Ieo5vIQugW
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 28, 2018

The 'Mahi Maar Raha Hai' moment

The hysteric crowd at Chepauk started chanting 'Dhoni-Dhoni' as long as the skipper batted in the nets.

The Yellow Parade! https://t.co/NfDrMEl4lW
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 28, 2018

Fans join CSK in 'yellow parade'

Thousands of cricket fans in Chennai rallied behind the CSK team bus and escorted the team to the stadium.

Players dancing on team bus, en route Chepauk

Turbanator Harbhajan Singh uploaded a video on his Facebook handle in which CSK cricketers could be seen enjoying the warm reception they were getting on Chennai roads on their way to Chepauk.

CSK are all set to make their return in the cash-rich league after a gap of two years and the team management is leaving no stones unturned to develop the hype ahead of the tournament.

However, CSK and Dhoni do not need such campaigns for CSK fans are very loyal to the franchise and they will definitely attend the home games in huge numbers, especially when the team is making a comeback after such a long gap.