North: God hero; south: hero God

Anybody who has been to a Royal Challengers Bengaluru-Chennai Super Kings match—or even watched it on TV; whether at a high-end pub or a crowded street-side showroom—will attest to the fevered fervour of their fan armies.

- ANUJA CHAUHAN

“Ee sala cup namdu” and “whistle podu” are practically religious incantations, operating at dizzying levels that “korbo, lorbo, jeetbo” or “duniya hila denge hum” can only dream of emulating. It would be a mild exaggeration, if at all, to say they rival the intensity of chants like “jai shri Ram” or “mandir vahin banayenge”. So, what's the secret sauce the south Indians are serving? Why is fan commitment so intense—win or lose? Sure, both these teams do a lot of outreach and good work, but so do Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. Is it simply because RCB can boast of Virat Kohli, and CSK of M.S. Dhoni? But MI started off with Sachin Tendulkar, and today is powered by Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.