From faith to pubs, Bengaluru turns red and gold to celebrate RCB's second IPL title

Bengaluru: The heart of Bengaluru erupted in deafening whistles and roars of "RCB! RCB!" on Sunday night as thousands of fans packed bars and cafes to watch Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase IPL glory for the second year in a row. 

Even though the match was being played over 1,000 kilometres away in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru's high streets — Church Street, Brigade Road and MG Road — transformed into a high-energy party zone. 

From Church Street to Basavanagudi, the entire city held its breath. Although the police had urged people not to hold massive road rallies or set off large fireworks for safety reasons, fans found every possible way to show their support. 

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium was empty on the inside, but the streets outside became ground zero for merchandise hunting. 

Street vendors saw a rush as thousands of fans queued up to buy team flags, caps and jerseys. Nowhere was the energy more explosive than on Church Street, just a stone's throw from the stadium. The entire stretch came to a standstill as pubs, cafes and restaurants packed people shoulder-to-shoulder. Fans were completely glued to the screens. 

"When Virat Kohli walked out and began tearing into the GT bowling attack, including a massive over off Kagiso Rabada, the street erupted." said Varun, a long-time RCB fan. 

"That Rabada over was pure madness," said Rahul, a fan watching from a packed pub. "When Virat hit those boundaries back-to-back, the entire building literally shook. People were screaming." 

But just when victory was in sight, with only 11 runs needed off 24 balls, Kohli's flick to mid-off was scooped up by a diving GT skipper Shubman Gill. Fans froze in disbelief, but relief soon arrived when Kohli immediately reviewed the decision. Fans rejoiced after the third umpire overturned the call in the tense moments that followed. 

And when Kohli's six in the 18th over finally brought the winning runs, fans erupted in joy and echoed in unison: 'RCB RCB', 'Ee sala nu cup namde (The cup is ours this year, too)'. 

Earlier in the day, the desperation to see RCB win the championship for a second consecutive year drove many fans towards faith. At temples across the city, people broke coconuts and offered special prayers for the team's victory, hoping rain would not ruin the match. 

With tickets for the final sold out, local fans took over the city's commercial spaces. Families and groups of friends booked seats at movie screenings in Orion and Lulu malls to recreate a stadium-like atmosphere. Restaurants and darshinis across the city were packed, with patrons keeping their eyes glued to television screens.