Right next to the main gate of the Chinnaswamy Stadium is Queen’s Road. At peak hours in the evening, the road is generally packed with city dwellers. But nothing comes close to the kind of crowds that throng the stadium when Royal Challengers Bengaluru partake in an IPL game. To make it even better, in IPL 2024, RCB are all set to lock horns against arch-rivals, Chennai Super Kings, in what is virtually a quarter-final.
Just to give an extent of the fervour and passion ahead of an RCB match, all you need to do is take a brief glance at the footpath outside the stadium. This stretch is lined with peepal trees. The excitement is such that one can observe a slew of fans jumping across the massive tree roots to quickly get across to the main gate. This could mean a bunch of 10-15 jumping at a time.
Not just near the main gate, but even at other gates, policemen have a rather difficult task of ensuring that it doesn’t lead to any chaos. Just a reminder that during evening hours, there is heavy traffic as well. On expected lines, most of Virat Kohli fans turn out to be fervent supporters of the franchise. Even when RCB were on a losing streak, enthusiasts were seen holding posters of their favourite cricketer. Even Mohammed Siraj, RCB’s pace-spearhead, has developed a cult following among the faithful.
So, how is Bengaluru gearing up for the big clash? A visit to the stadium on May 15 evening gave the feeling of calm before the storm. There were billboards of Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Siraj & Co.
There is something more associated with an RCB game — tickets sold in black. On the X platform itself, there is a hashtag, RCBvsCSKtickets, where users are posting their tickets (not sure of its genuineness) for sale at high prices. There is even a report of how a person called Samarth (name changed) ended up shelling a whopping Rs 3 lakh to buy three tickets.
Even yours truly has had a couple of curious experiences while trying to interview fans outside the stadium. On one occasion, last year, a group of fans wondered whether I was a black-ticket seller as I continued to search for supporters ready to share their views on the clash. Even this year, when RCB met Sunrisers Hyderabad, policemen made a few enquiries as to why I was going back and forth through the road.
In a couple of days, we will see all that and more at the jam-packed Chinnaswamy. A typical fast-paced T20 game is full of action and drama. Before a quintessential RCB match, there is plenty of action outside the stadium too.