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King Of Chess Gukesh All Smiles After Getting CSK's No.18 Jersey From Ashwin

Soumyajit Dutta

Gukesh and R Ashwin [Source: @chennaiipl/X.com]Gukesh and R Ashwin [Source: @chennaiipl/X.com]

The IPL fever is on and with only a day left to embrace the nationwide phenomenon, world-class personalities are also joining hands with franchises to dip their toes in the cricket frenzy.

World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh recently visited Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium as part of the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) Chennai Superstar initiative ahead of IPL 2025. The meetup was a heart-touching one where two stars of Chennai met and greeted each other as was seen in the video.

Gukesh Receives Special No. 18 Jersey From CSK

The franchise teased a special segment featuring Gukesh and veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, showcasing the 18-year-old chess prodigy exploring the iconic Chepauk venue. 

In the preview, Ashwin gifted Gukesh a personalized CSK jersey (No. 18) and challenged him to a chess match, with both autographing a board afterwards.

The full video, titled Chennai Superstars, highlights Gukesh’s local roots and his connection to the city and is set to release soon. 

The visit coincided with praise from chess legend Viswanathan Anand, who applauded Gukesh’s efforts to promote the sport after his historic world title win. 

Ashwin's Homecoming and CSK's Prep

Meanwhile, Ashwin reflected emotionally on rejoining CSK, his original IPL team, after 14 years. CSK shared a clip of Ashwin discussing his return to the franchise, where he began his IPL career in 2008. 

“It feels very odd actually, it has been many years since I left, I am coming back to the same team, all the people are the same, every day I used to practice vigorously for the season,” Ashwin remarked.  

Notably, CSK brought back the star spinner after spending INR 9.75 crore in the mega auction.

Meanwhile, the CSK camp, under the guidance of MS Dhoni, is prepping for their first game against the Mumbai Indians on March 23 at Chepauk. After ending the previous season in the fifth place, the yellow camp is eyeing their sixth IPL title this season.