JOIN US They thought they had everything in control, especially after the fiasco at the previous IPL after-match party. But there was no stopping the crowd.
After the crucial win by the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Kolkata Knight Riders, there was not a soul in town who didn’t want to be part of the celebration.
The ITC Gardenia witnessed a mini kumbh-mela with both invited and uninvited guests barging in. Some came in dressed in their skimpiest best hoping that could get them a ticket to the party.
The games started with Ronit Roy standing on the top of a table to control the crowd and screaming at some of those trying to make an entry. Rumours went around that the party would end by 1.30 am.
“Even those who had their names on the list were denied entry. It was totally absurd. And it was even impossible to go back because of the crowd,” said one of the guests.
Around three to four fights broke out in different parts of the lobby, which were immediately looked into. And those, who didn’t care about getting inside, started dancing in the lobby as soon as the music turned a bit louder.
Gate-crashers are part and parcel of any high-profile party but this one had our regular P3Ps earning a bad name by gate-crashing.
“There is no longer a guest list. Only those with a particular band around their wrist can enter the party. But it was sad to see some well-known people forcibly gaining entry,” said an onlooker. Word has it that a top model co-ordinator gained entry after making a hue and cry, even though she did not have the particular band around her wrist.
Players from both the teams like Anil Kumble, Ishanth Sharma, Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and even Manish Pandey, who did not play that night, attended the party. Vijay Mallya came along with his family. And the much-talked-about couple, Deepika Padukone and Sidhartha Mallya, who had made a quick exit in the last party, lingered on in the lobby this time for the shutterbugs.
After Manoviraj showcased his collection, the party wound up around 2.45 am. But that was not all. Since the win was so huge, there was an apparent after-party after all this, only for the players at an undisclosed venue.
DHNS