IPL 2018 | "Without the fans, Chennai Super Kings are nothing" - CSK CEO on "Whistle Podu express"
CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan arranged a special train named Whistle Podu express for the CSK supporters to travel to Pune for the Super Kings' match against Rajasthan Royals today. Vishwanathan commented that it was the least the management authorities could do for the comfort of the fans.
After political issues regarding the Cauvery water forced the BCCI officials to shift CSK's home stadium from Chepauk in Chennai to MCA stadium in Pune, Dhoni’s boys in yellow were gearing up to take on the northern opposition in the form of Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan Royals. But the CSK management pulled off a smart move to surprise the team and make them feel at home.
CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan revealed that they were more than happy to arrange a special train for the home supporters to travel to Pune and support their team at the MCA international stadium. Vishwanathan also added that he referred to the fans as the 12th man of the team. The train had a total of 13 coaches, including one A/C coach, which has been allotted to the supporters.
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Kasi said that around 10,000 fans made their way to Pune and the management provided for their expenses which included travel, food, accommodation, match tickets and jerseys.
"Without the fans, Chennai Super Kings are nothing. This is the least we can do for the fans who are loyal to us. So, we decided to make prior arrangements for the fans to go all the way to Pune and watch their team play. There were over 10000 fans to see the team train for the IPL before the tournament started and we expected at least 1000 people to board the train to Pune. The response we eventually got is overwhelming," Kasi added.