A sea of orange flags seemed to flutter in approval every time the ball went flying past the boundary lines at the ACA-VDCA Stadium. The jam-packed stands roared as top teams of the Indian Premier League battled to enter the finale. On day one, Sunrisers Hyderabad played against Delhi Capitals in a nail-biting match. The other match saw Chennai Super Kings lock horns with Delhi Capitals.
The IPL excitement began quite some time ago with people lining up for hours, unfazed by the heat craze for the IPL matches started days ahead of the matches. Fans had to endured excruciating heat and waited for hours at the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium for collecting the tickets they had booked online“What is the point of booking tickets online if we have to collect it offline,” exclaimed an exasperated yet thrilled Gavi Reddy Manjo who now held the tickets in his hands. The 19-year-old was lucky he managed to book tickets as they were sold out in a matter of minutes!
The way to stadium was lined with people selling replica jerseys, ribbons, caps and flags. The premises around the stadium was packed with fans waiting to get in the zone of action. People were getting their faces painted with the colours of their favourite team. Hundreds of fans reached hours before the match so that they could park hassle-free. Many came in early to catch a glimpse of their favourite players warm-up before the game.
Manvi Abroal said she had been waiting for this moment for 11 years. A staunch supporter of Delhi Capitals, Manvi was on cloud nine as for the first time Delhi won an eliminator. “For all these years the team had been reaching the playoffs only to get knocked out. But these matches have just cemented my support for them,” says the 27-year-old Delhi resident who has been touring along with the Delhi Capitals to attend all their matches.
The humidity did not dampen the enthusiasm. All hell broke loose every time a batsman cleared the boundary. While a majority of spectators left immediately after the last ball, at midnight, the die hard fans stayed back for the awards ceremony. The buses ferrying the players were surrounded by fans hankering for that priceless selfie with a cricketing superstar.