No police, no railway officials and just two trains: CSK fans left stranded after IPL match

While the match got over by 10:48 pm, the train to Velachery arrived at 11.50pm and the other, towards Chennai Beach, was scheduled at 12:05 am, creating a congestion at the MRTS station.

Long way home: With fans packed like tinned sardines in the coaches, a sizeable number was forced to miss the carriage due to a lack of space. | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey / Sportstar

With only one ‘IPL (Indian Premier League) special’ train scheduled towards Velachery at 11:45pm and another destined for Chennai Beach at 12:05am on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) matchdays, hundreds of fans who thronged the Chepauk MRTS station after the early conclusion of Friday’s game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had to bear the brunt of the unbearable Chennai heat.

With the over rate on target and CSK’s victory getting sealed at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium with eight balls to spare, the 29th fixture of the cash-rich T20 league, for a change, finished at 10.48pm.

However, the train to Velachery arrived at 11.50pm, resulting in chaos when it finally pulled into the platform.

The jittery crowd, which included numerous women and children, had swelled all this while. In their attempts to get on board, people started to jostle for the gates, and in the ensuing confusion, a few lost their slippers and broke their spectacles.

Some people had to travel on the footboard, although it is illegal, only because they were unsure as to whether there was another train scheduled to arrive because of lack of information on the web. All this while, no police or railway officials were in sight.

With fans packed like tinned sardines in the coaches, a sizeable number was forced to miss the carriage due to a lack of space. The train stood motionless for a further five minutes before the whistle finally went off.

On your own, gentlemen: With no police or railway officials in sight, the Chennai Super Kings fans thronged the station, unfolding utter chaos. | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey / Sportstar

“CSK had informed that Metro services are free if you have a match ticket, and operational till one-and-a-half hours after the game. We also know about the shuttle buses, but there was nothing on the local train services. We just followed the crowd when we heard that there are special trains,” Anitha, a homemaker, said. She was here with her husband and two children.

“This has been a very bad experience especially with the immense heat. Many people are falling sick. It is especially unsafe for women and children,” added Rajib, a travelling CSK faithful from Odisha.