Metrolife: For foreigners in city, IPL is fun night out

Chinnaswamy Stadium always wears a festive look during the IPL season. Every corner is refurbished into a plush lounge to resemble a party scene. This, the organisers believe, add to the entertainment value.

The foreigners who chose to watch the match at the stadium said that they loved the way the interiors of the stadium were done up and the energy visible there during the matches.

Many among them had come down for work and chosen to watch an IPL match. There were some others, die-hard fans of the T20 format, who had come down purely for the love of the game.

Steven Karl, from New Zealand, has attended almost all the IPL matches held across the country. “I know the members of all the teams. In Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), I closely follow Virat and AB de Villiers. There are a few other exceptional players as well. I have been following the IPL format for the last couple of years. I am now hooked to it,” he says.

There are others like Erik Taylor, a native of Utah in the US, who found the game too loud.

“Baseball is big back home. The rules are different for cricket and baseball. But I am still trying to understand the basics of cricket. But IPL is definitely worth a visit because the atmosphere is truly electrifying,” says Erik.

Angela Barany, from San Francisco, grew up playing basketball and she says that she’s been waiting to watch an IPL match in a stadium. “People here are so glued to the sport and follow it very closely. I like it that IPL has brought women and children into the stadium. It’s like a family outing of sorts for many of the Indian families,” says Angela.

Hockey is big in Canada, says Karen Burgess, who attended one of the IPL matches in the city.

“For many of us, the IPL seemed like the perfect place to hangout with friends and colleagues. You don’t really get to see this kind of frenzy back home. People here go gaga over the cricketers and the sport itself,” she says.

The colourful costumes and props that people brought to IPL matches, is what caught Andrew Houston’s attention. A native of Canada, Andrew was overwhelmed to see the effort that people took to dress up for an IPL match.

“I spotted a few people dressed as Red Indians, some as clowns and a few others completely drenched in colours of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and RCB logos. This only shows that people here feel one with the sport and the players,” Andrew says.