IPL fans thronged the stadium to cheer for their favourite teams. DH PHOTO BY SRIKANTA SHARMA
So what if Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had a bad run this season. Winning and losing is all part of the game and nobody knows it better than the fans. Which is why there was no dearth of cheers and applause at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the first IPL eliminator match that saw Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) knock out defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Though rain tried to play the spoilsport, fans and cricket enthusiasts came in droves and cheered for their favourite players. Abhinav G S says, “I am a huge fan of KKR. Me and my friend have come all the way from Kerala to support this team because it has quite a few of our favourite players.” Abhinav admits to being bowled over by the crowd’s energy. “The crowd here is amazing and watching matches in this place is exciting.”
Sibin B feels that it is a love for the game that has caused many to come for the match despite their team not being there. “This city has a strong love for cricket. People come to show their support for the game, not a particular team.” The usual RCB red was replaced by a sea of purple with a generous sprinkling of orange. The two teams enjoyed quite a bit of support from the home crowd, especially KKR.
“I am a big admirer of KKR,” says Subhashish Chatterjee, a professional. “This city has quite a big Bengali population so it no surprise that this team has so many followers here.” But Sunrisers too have their fair share of supporters and people like Shiny Eapen and Nithya Ann Eapen proved this by turning up for the match with their entire family. Says Nithya, “It’s my first IPL match. We are all supporting Sunrisers. I like the whole team; they are such a talented bunch.” Shiny agrees, “From the beginning, it’s been David Warner for us. We actually came to the city for something else but along with that, we decided to come here and cheer for our favourites.”
For many though, their loyalties still lie with Virat Kohli’s men. Dua Aleen, a student at Christ University, is still a die hard RCB fan. “I have been supporting RCB for last 10 years and my loyalties won’t change.” When asked why crowds throng the matches even when their teams are not in the fray, she replies, “It is because IPL is so entertaining. One gets to see big players and you get lost in the game.Everyone cheers for every ball, regardless of who is playing.”
Avinash agrees. “The basic concept is entertainment. Your favourite players may be scattered among teams so you can have more than one pick. After RCB, my favourite team is Pune. Also many people go just for the experience. With the music and cheering, it is a crazy ambience.”