The Chennai Super Kings delegation, usually calm and sombre, trooped out of the meeting room at Abu Dhabi's W Hotel - a stunningly expansive upscale property steeped in opulence and luxury - wearing light green T-shirts, a shift from the familiar yellow they don at IPL auctions and pre-auction rituals.

Leading the group was a woman of frail build, humble and unassuming, carrying herself quietly. There was an unmistakable air of authority about her presence, but it was not exactly and openly asserted. Rupa Gurunath, the franchise's new boss, can be self-erasing to a fault.

Appointed whole-time director of the company last August, the scion of N Srinivasan - the patriarch who led the family's cement business and Indian cricket for decades before recently stepping aside - has emerged as the quintessential de facto head. Srinivasan continues to be the chairman of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL), but for all practical purposes, it is Rupa who now runs CSKCL, one of the Indian Premier League's most successful franchises.

Coming back to the greenish top, the change one assumed might have something to do with the new boss. "No, no, no," she laughs, downplaying the thought. "Kasi is still in charge," she says, waving her hand towards KS Viswanathan, the franchise's CEO and managing director - and, more importantly, a trusted lieutenant of the Srinivasan family for years. It is her first auction, right? "No, no," she replies again. "I was there at the SA20 auction - in September, in Johannesburg."

In Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, she did not take centre stage at the auction table - rather she banished herself to a seat on the sidelines.

While MS Dhoni remains the public face of the franchise, Rupa has now become its administrative head. Of late, she has been a regular presence at IPL post-match presentations. What is not well known is that she has been overseeing CSK's day-to-day operations. She works out of a swanky two-storeyed building in Chennai's Besant Nagar.

Says a Chennai-based source: "Cricket and CSK are their primary business - in fact, the only business for now."

What the source meant was that the family has exited the cement business, and is now focused almost entirely on cricket. Some real estate activity also is going on, but cricket remains the core business.

The source points out, "They have three teams worldwide." Apart from CSK, the group owns the Joburg Super Kings in South Africa (SA20) and the Texas Super Kings in the United States (Major League Cricket).

To support these franchises, Rupa has ordered the creation of a global academy network. At present, CSK runs 43 academies worldwide - 10 in the US and around 30 across India. Discussions are under way to start coaching centres in Singapore, the UK, and Australia, too.

Closer home, they have developed a facility on a 15-acre plot in Chennai's OMR region, where Chennai Super Kings hold their annual practice sessions. Though the ground is used for only 20-30 days a year, CSK insiders say she was instrumental in installing floodlights around the place.

"Rupa is very serious about cricket, very hands-on too," says the CSK insider. "She has been associated with the team for 10 years now and is an experienced hand." She had many discussions with MS Dhoni, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and coach Stephan Fleming besides of course Viswanathan for the auction. She landed in the UAE two days before the auction.

Rupa (52), a mother of three, is a graduate in science, went on to complete a PG diploma course in computer applications, and holds a Master's degree in business administration.

The CSK website says she has vast industrial experience, having served as a wholetime director of The India Cements Limited before it was sold to the Birlas a year ago. She was also the first woman president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), elected in 2019. A couple of years later, she stepped down to avoid a conflict of interest.

It is not just the business or administrative decisions she takes. She is apparently involved in the cricketing calls as well. The high-profile Ravindra Jadeja-Sanju Samson trade is said to have been her initiative, though it is unclear whether Srinivasan was entirely comfortable with the widely publicised move. It is said that the veteran administrator took some time to give his consent.

Sources say Rupa, who lives a street away from Srinivasan's residence in the plush Boat Club area, meets him about two-three times a week, keeping him updated on developments. That, apparently, is how Srinivasan prefers it - and that is how Rupa is establishing herself as the lady boss of CSK - slowly but definitely.