India, May 14 -- The IPL is played in the home-and-away format except for Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. For them, every venue can feel like home.

"Everywhere he goes, it's yellow," said pundit and former international Mpumelelo Mbangwa on television, as Eden exploded into cheers for Dhoni before Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) here on May 7. Through what was a must-win match for KKR, support for the already-eliminated away team came from every corner of the cricket cathedral.

When Shah Rukh Khan called him "the king of 22 yards" and the "winner of a billion hearts", at the opening ceremony, also at Eden, on March 22, it felt like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and not defending champions KKR, who were at ho...