After the IPL, it felt like all over the country, we were in a state of withdrawal, with this huge void that needed to be filled. The FIFA World Cup came at the right time, but lets face it, it’s not quite the same without a home team to root for. So I thought why not a quick look back at some of my favourite moments from over the season, some random highlights, and a behind-the-scenes take on things, so to speak.
My Favourite Looks:
Forgive me for going straight to fashion first, I figured why not start with the most obvious. Dressing for ‘on ground’ shoots can be quite a task and you don’t realize all the factors that come into play until you’re standing right there. Blazing heat, soaring temperatures (I think we hit 44 degrees for the matches in Jaipur this year) and some really crazy ‘hang on to your hats’ kinda wind. So it certainly helped to have a great styling team in place coordinating all of it.
Jumpsuit Love
Pants, pants and more pants!
Summery Prints
The Team- Cast and Crew
Need I mention what an honour it is to work alongside some of the greatest names in cricket. And a fantastic learning experience as well. This shot is something of a TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League) reunion pic, which is round the corner again this year by the way.
Besides the popular faces that you get to see on camera, the beating heart of this whole operation is our amazing crew at Star Sports who work tirelessly to bring all this to you. The sheer numbers are staggering. I got to learn a whole lot from them as well, adding a special dimension to the experience. Below is a quick Behind-the-scenes look at a CSK fan shoot at Chennai’s Chepauk stadium.
A special mention of course to the lovely ladies of Star Sports, both in front of and behind the camera. These are some of my favourite pics, from the CSK vs SRH match in Mumbai, taken with the ‘Queen of Star Sports’, Mayanti Langer. It’s safe to say she’s a shining example to young girls everywhere, especially all the sports lovers. Let me also add that she’s a whole lot of fun!
Another snapshot of a blazing sunny day-match in Pune, also super windy! Presenter R.K. and expert Badrinath, were saying how they were excited to be out of the studio and on ground in Pune. The faces you can’t see are our producer Rupha and Cameraman Deepan, doing what they do best.
Between all the comings and goings, I also crossed paths and got to hang out with Erin Holland, in Pune, while I was shooting for ‘The Super Kings Show’ and her for ‘Inside RCB’. I’m always happy for a little girl-bonding time in the testosterone charged setting.
Fan Power
If there’s one aspect of the IPL that totally blew my mind, so much so that I’ve dedicated one whole section of this write up to it, is the fan support. I have never seen anything like it before! And thanks to being able to host ‘The Super Kings Show’, I got to interact with some serious die-hard fans of our boys in yellow. The much awaited return of CSK resulted in some fantastic fan tributes, like the painting in this picture, by Jai Anand. And even better- he did it upside down and in just 15 minutes!
We saw everything from crazy hairstyles, to body paint to people doing up their cars, to show support for the Chennai Super Kings. I loved the ‘Whistle Podu’ Jeep which looked amazing, and I was lucky enough to be able to go for a ride in it a couple of times.
From the ‘Whistle Podu’ Jeep to the ‘Whistle Podu’ express, below is a shot of myself and just a small fraction the fans that made the one-day long journey from Chennai to Pune. The total number was almost one thousand of us aboard the train. It was a 24 hour long party, with the fans singing, dancing and swapping their favourite CSK stories. 
From Rap fan anthems to Bharatnatyam performances, we saw it all. Pictured above are the disciples of Roja Kannan who choreographed a special piece set the to CSK ‘Whistle Podu’ anthem. Love it! Below is a shot of the show on air, I couldn’t resist a quick pic. Badri was our expert guest for this special episode and he shared some of his experiences playing for the Chennai Super Kings, including a special locker-room chant.
The Whistles are back, and how! A great season that came to a fabulous close! The CSK fans could not have asked for anything more. I had to end with an all-yellow shot, from the Pune Stadium, the Super Kings’ home away from home. Despite the change in venue, the essence of the team still remained. Plus we got to experience some of the most beautiful sunsets here. On that note, this is me Paloma signing off. I’ll keep the updates coming!
