Two-time Indian Premier League winners Chennai Super Kings have served their two-year ban, and along with Rajasthan Royals, should make their way back in the 2018 edition. Having the then Indian skipper MS Dhoni at the helm and armed with a massive following, the franchise had a brilliant run during the first eight years, lifting the trophy twice and ending up as beaten finalists on four occasions.

For the cricket-crazy city, CSK became one of the emblems. ‘Thala’ Dhoni became its adopted son and was seen on billboards across the city, sometimes in the yellow CSK jersey and even in a traditional lungi to further elevate his demi-god status that only a select few from his country can boast of.

The buzz kicked off with the club’s Twitter account going on an overdrive and galvanising its partisan fans: It all started with a compilation of some of the select memories of the side’s greatest moments over the years:

The cricket community was excited, obviously.

Surprise, surprise, the fans joined in and the meme-makers didn’t miss a chance to show their love for their favourite team. Don’t miss the very original and profound, “It’s not just a team, it’s an emotion” warning.

Of course, who says only sportspersons have a tunnel vision.

It remains to be seen whether the franchise will actually get to retain Dhoni or if there will a draft system for the returning teams, but that clearly didn’t stop the fans from celebrating.