With the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League around the corner, Chennai has once again been taken over by Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings mania. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's ascent to dizzying heights put a small city like Ranchi inadvertently on the cricket map. But what exactly made this football goalkeeper-turned cricketer from the eastern state of Jharkhand, the heartthrob of a city 1,700 kilometres away from his hometown, makes one scratch their head in bewilderment to date. On Sunday evening, ahead of a CSK practice match at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, the serpentine queues outside the main entrance could be mistaken for an eager audience ramping up to an international match. READ: IPL 2019: Smith checks in for Rajasthan Royals The team bus arrived at the venue, to delirium. Every spectator on the periphery, unfazed by the gruelling heat and humidity, crowded around to watch. Fans pushed and shoved. Security guards held hands, to stop the surge but to no avail. Inside, the noise from the three jam-packed stands immediately rose by several decibels as the CSK players made their way to the middle. It reached a crescendo when three-time IPL champion, Dhoni, marched out with his pads on during the innings break. Dhoni rolled his arm briefly, as the boisterous crowd swayed to the trajectory of the ball as it left his hand. He took throwdowns from Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and Chaitanya Bishnoi, carting huge sixes into the night sky, sending the stadium into raptures. WATCH: IPL: Dhoni mania guarantees CSK vs RCB blockbuster Raina enthralled the crowd, occasionally launching into his trademark powerful hoicks to leg but Dhoni's brief hit in the middle was the highlight. That said, it seems the fans have to wait until March 23 for the proverbial chopper to truly land.<doc-sep>Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore players had an intense training session at the M A Chidambaram stadium here Thursday, two days ahead of the opening match of the Indian Premier League's 12th edition. While the M S Dhoni-led CSK has been training in a full-fledged manner since March 16, the RCB captained by Virat Kohli landed in the city and hit practice mode. Players of the two teams trained under lights at the iconic Chidambaram stadium. CSK suffered a blow on Wednesday when South African paceman Lungi Ngidi was ruled out due to an injury. "Ngidi will be missed," CSK's CEO KS Viswanathan said on the team website. Also read IPL 2019: Lungi Ngidi of CSK and Anrich Nortje of KKR ruled out with injuries "We are in the process of identifying a replacement," he added. Meanwhile, veteran West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo said experience mattered a lot in T20 cricket too and it showed in the triumph last year on a comeback from a two-year ban. "We were aware of the name-calling but you can't beat experience, no matter," he was quoted as saying on the CSK website. Referring to the CSK being called the Dad's army last season for the number of senior players in the squad, he said, the core of the team was kept and that made a huge difference. "Last year everyone doubted us, and we went on to win," he said. Bravo also termed as very important keeping the core group and retaining most of the players which has been CSK's strength over 10 years. "Every season is different, this is a new edition and we have come to win," he said adding "last year is long gone." Bravo also said he and the team were looking forward to playing more matches at home after the games were shifted out of the city in 2018 owing to political developments over the Cauvery river water issue.<doc-sep>The Indian Premier League begins only on March 23, but the frenzy has already started in Chennai. The home of the defending champions Chennai Super Kings, MA Chidambaram stadium, saw a packed house for - wait for it - an intra-squad training game! Yes, that's the craze with which fans follow the MS Dhoni-led side in Chennai. According to the CSK website, the game saw as many as 12000 people witnessing from the stands, which were opened for free entry. Watch the madness in the videos below: The first game of the tournament will see CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. The venue saw only one match last season as CSK were forced to shift their home games to Pune following political protests in Chennai. It was a big blow to the Chennai fans, as CSK were out of action the previous two seasons as well when they were suspended after Gurunath Meiyapan, their team principal, was found guilty of betting. Despite that, the craze among fans didn't reduce as the franchise organised special trains to Pune carrying fans. CSK went on to win the tournament, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final in Wankhede stadium. CSK retained almost the entire squad from the previous season, getting in only Mohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaekwad in the player auction. Mark Wood was left out while left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner comes in after missing the last season due to an injury. Chennai are the most successful franchise in the IPL, having won the trophy thrice in nine seasons. They are the only side to have made it to the final four in every edition.<doc-sep>MS Dhoni has been leading Chennai Super Kings' training sessions in the lead up to IPL 2019 (@ChennaiIPL Photo) Close to 12,000 fans made sure the stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was packed to the rafters on Sunday. Chennai Super Kings, the home team, were just playing a practice match. Yes, you read that right. Chants of "Dhoni Dhoni" reverberated across Chepauk as fans queued in numbers to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars gear up for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, starting March 23. Dhoni walked out to thundering cheers from the sea of yellow in the jam-packed stands late in the evening. Dhoni strode to the centre pitch in his practice gear and took a few throw downs. Dhoni mania has gripped Chennai so much so that a fan managed to run onto the pitch in a bid to meet the India wicketkeeper. Dhoni had a smile on his face as he spotted the oncoming fan and ran around bowling coach L Balaji before greeting him with a handshake. In the video available on social media, CSK officials can be seen taking the fan away from Dhoni even as more spectators run onto the ground. "Now that we've got the best reactions, hoping nobody tries this again!" Chennai Super Kings wrote on Twitter after the video of the pitch invader went viral. CSK have begun preparations for their title defence in full swing. Sunday's intra-squad practice match saw some of the big names, including Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and Murali Vijay spend time in the middle. The practice match was played under the watchful eyes of head coach Stephen Fleming, batting coach Michael Hussey and bowling coach L Balaji. Notably, Dhoni had arrived in Chennai on Friday and immediately got down to business as he had his first training session on Saturday. The three-time title-winning skipper launched some huge sixes as he was seen timing the ball sweetly during the session. With the local stars joining the squad well ahead of the season opener on March 23, overseas names are expected to arrive in Chennai over the next few days. England's big-hitting batsman, Sam Billings touched down in Chennai on Sunday. Chennai Super Kings open their title defence against Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. The tickets for the opening encounter has been sold out. Also See:<doc-sep>
Chennai Super Kings fans had a lot to cheer about at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai on March 17 as the players took part in a practice match. With fans being allowed free entry into three stands, a huge number gathered to watch the CSK players. Though captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn't feature in the 'match', there was a loud cheer when he made an appearance. Dhoni trained for about an hour, sending deliveries into the stands at regular intervals. None of the foreign players in the squad were present on the day. Only one half of the Twenty-20 game was played and Batting Lions had a hit with the willow. Murali Vijay (32) and Ambati Rayudu (40) opened the innings, with the latter donning the role of an accelerator. Rayudu, who smashed five boundaries and a solitary six during his 23-ball stay, was sent back in the 7th over. He was caught off the bowling of veteran Harbhajan Singh. The hugely popular Suresh Raina (56), coming in at number three, was the only batter to post a half-century. The team ended the innings at 199 for five. Shardul Thakur was the best bowler, scalping two wickets, while Harbhajan, Karn and Deepak Chahar took one each. The three stands C, D and E were packed and members of the fan club were also present in good numbers. ALSO READ: We played more cricket than current generation and found time to improve, says Warne The CSK players began full-fledged training for the forthcoming season of IPL on Saturday, CSK takes on Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of IPL-12 at the MAC here on March 23.