Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Dwayne Bravo brought the Chepauk crowd to their feet with his famous song ‘Champion’ in front of a packed MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday at the ROAR 2026 event hosted by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season which starts next week.
With IPL 2026 less than a week away, Bravo made his presence felt at the Chepauk Stadium where he won several matches for CSK with his all-round ability. With the current team CSK, his audience in the front row, Bravo performed the song “Champion”, which he composed during India’s 2016 T20 World Cup winning campaign in the West Indies.
Bravo, one of the most in-demand all-rounders in franchise T20 leagues during his time, spent 10 seasons with CSK and scored 1004 runs in 116 matches. The West Indian has taken 140 wickets with the ball and is also the second highest wicket taker in the franchise.
The legends come together for the ROAR 2026 event
As for the ROAR 2026 event, it was organized by CSK ahead of IPL 2026 to prepare the entire current squad in front of the packed stadium fans. The five-time champions have gathered all the cricketing stalwarts who have played for the franchise over the years. Former stars lined up against current members of the squad in specific matches.
Former CSK stars included Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey, Ambati Rayudu, Matthew Hayden, Murali Vijay, Subramanium Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Parthiv Patel, Joginder Sharma, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shadab Jakati, Laxmipathy Balaji and Bravo.
Surprisingly, another CSK stalwart Ravichandran Ashwin was nowhere to be seen at the event. Later, Bravo bowled to Rayudu in a match with Dhoni keeping the wickets.
When will CSK start IPL 2026 campaign?
The five-time champions will begin their 2026 IPL season against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30. After the Rajasthan match, CSK will face Punjab Kings on April 3. CSK will then take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 5 and Delhi Capitals on April 11.
Complete IPL 2026 CSK First Phase Schedule
