JOIN USThe cheers weren't enough
Bangaloreans were all pumped up in anticipation of a cracker of a Twenty20 match. Alas, there was nothing royal about the challenge that the home team could pose. In the end, as Mumbai Indians trounced Royal Challengers, it was the cricket-crazy Bangalorean who was the loser.
Distraught, the RCB fans were seen leaving the stadium way before the match was over. But the handful of Mumbai Indian fans stayed on to cheer, hoot and see the last leg of victory. Most people were of course disappointed not because of the home team losing but because of the off-colour contest it put up.
Metrolife spoke to a few people during the match who said they were there because they thoroughly enjoyed the IPL format of cricketing. Dressed in T-shirts of the teams they were supporting, faces painted, head gears and armed with whistles, flags... the young and the not-so-young were seen hooting, cheering and helping themselves to mugs of beer and the non-stop short eats.
It was literally a party of sorts that no one wanted to miss. Aarti, a student, supporting the Mumbai Indians didn’t mind that her hooting was drowned amidst RCB fans. “I was born in Mumbai, so how can I switch loyalties?” she asked and added,
“For me cricket and Mumbai Indians means Sachin Tendulkar. I can’t look beyond that. The match was a real treat since Sachin played well and lived up to the expectations.” Akshay, an engineer, who came with high expectations for RCB observed that the aggression was missing. “Mumbai deserved the win. They played really well, especially Sachin and being his fan, the highlights for me, were the sixes and fours he hit,” he said.
Aishwarya and Devang are engaged to be married soon. Aishwarya is a RCB supporter and Devang is a big fan of Mumbai Indians. “I have almost lost my voice screaming amidst the loud cheering of RCB. IPL is a great format and the time is the biggest attraction,” said Devang. Aishwarya added, “It’s a light game and there’s lots of fun and glamour to it.”
Vinay Rajkumar was surely disappointed about RCB not winning. “The game was interesting. This is that time of the year when we come and enjoy cricket with friends. It’s an outing after a hard day’s work,” he said. Sandeep and Ganesh bought tickets well in advance for themselves and their cousins.
“The IPL is popular and I would never miss a chance to be here. It’s simple yet glamourous. We came in with a lot of expectations, especially because this was the first RCB match in Bangalore but we lost. That’s a bit disappointing,” said Sandeep.
A riot of colour
Street vendors didn’t miss out on the chance to cash in on the excitement. Donning colourful wigs, they sold Indian flags and plastic horns.
Dressing up and accessorising are all part of the IPL fever. Youngsters wore the colours of their favourite team and didn’t forget to put on the tri-colour wrist band to show their loyality towards the Indian team. dh photos by Poorna Uthappa and Sanya Sood
The Mumbai Indian fans armed with plastic horns and sporting team jerseys were all set for the game.