It was a victory in true AB style!

NEVER-ENDING CHEER

It was not evident until the 17th over whether Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would win. For a change, it was the ‘AB de Villiers effect’ that came to the rescue and not the usual ‘Gayle storm’. 

Irrespective of the boys’ roller coaster ride on the field, it was party time in the stands. During the warm-up session, people yelled out every time Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and Dale Steyn walked past the crowd. Just that the screams for Gayle were louder! Reason or no reason, people were in a mood to cheer.

‘Power Star’ Puneeth Rajkumar made an appearance after a long time. With his latest film ‘Anna Bond’ opening to an unprecedented response, it was natural that the film’s music echoed in the stands as Puneeth and Ramya did the rounds. Puneeth, who was almost mobbed, chose to leave early. “I was busy with other commitments therefore, I couldn’t make it to the previous matches. But I am glad the team won and they sure did put up a good fight,” he said. Ramya was confident and said excitedly, “The RCB has presented Siddhartha Mallya the perfect birthday gift by winning.” Deccan Chargers had its share of celebrity attraction in the form of Telugu star Siddharth. Tamil actor Udhayanidhi Stalin and producer Dayanidhi Alagiri lent their support to the teams too. Stalin stated, “The IPL has always been an enjoyable format. Since I was shooting here, I dropped in for a while to watch the match in the stadium. But unfortunately, due to an emergency, I’m leaving.” 

Dayanidhi Alagiri was, incidentally, cheering for the RCB. He said, “We have been shooting here for a while now and the entire team wanted to take some time off to watch the match. Since I am here, I am all for the RCB since it is a great team.”

Despite being at the bottom of the points table, the Deccan Chargers proved their mettle by hitting boundaries and making the RCB fans a wee bit jittery in the first half. Most thought that there would only be a fifty per cent chance of winning until AB de Villiers — the game changer — came on board. 

Shreya, an engineer, was cheering for the Deccan Chargers, and was happy with the way the team performed. “Even if the Deccan Chargers had won today, I don’t think there would have been a difference in the points table anyway. Nevertheless, I am happy that they are fighting till the end,” she observed. 

Professionals Shalini and Abhijith lent their support to the home team. “It’s still not too late for the RCB to make it to the qualifiers. They are one of the strongest teams this year,” said Shalini while Abhijith added, “as a fan, one shouldn’t lose hope so soon.

The best team always stands out.” Preethi, a homemaker, who soaked in the electrifying atmosphere said, “I used to watch the match on TV but there is a different energy here altogether.” Her friend Sonali, a professional, opined, “I support the RCB but I am a big fan of Rahul Dravid. We should have retained him in our team but now Chris is the new hero.” Jayashree and her daughter Neethi couldn’t stop raving about Dale Steyn’s bowling skills. But they were also hoping that Dale wouldn’t knock the RCB players with his extraordinary bowling tactics. “I’ve not only come to watch the RCB win, but also to watch Dale bowl. I’ve been following the IPL from its inception,” said Jayashree.