CSK gets a loud whistle from fans after launch of app

From Dhoni sporting a ‘Thirumbi Vandhutenu Sollu’ T-shirt and Harbhajan Singh’s viral Tamil tweets to videos of their players playing the nadhaswaram or jumping out of autos, the franchise is going all-out to ensure their brand value is at an all-time high, rendering their suspension for the betting scandal a distant memory. 

Fans are already turning up in large numbers to watch the team practice at the Chepauk Stadium every evening, swathed in yellow and carrying posters, singing the Whistle Podu chant. “It was such a great moment to see our Thala Dhoni in the CSK jersey again – getting him back for our team is such a coup. My friends and I are rushing after office everyday to the stadium, hoping for an autograph. Last week, we were all partying at a popular nightclub in the city when Dwayne Bravo suddenly turned up and started singing along with the DJ,” said die-hard S Amritha, a designer in the city. 

The new CSK app has hit 80,000 downloads within a single day of its release – and the team expects it to reach a record high and trend on all stores closer to the tournament. “The fans are known for their loyalty – so based on that, app users shall be able to meet players, interact with them, win a stadium tour and so on. It’s all about making it as experiential as possible – tickets will be announced via the app too, and we expect them to be sold out quickly,” noted Aarati Ghanashyam, director of Marketing at Tekplay, who developed the app.