By Boria Mjumdar
The IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens was washed out because at long last a Nor’wester hit the city. While KKR should be happy with a point, the question is what about the fans? For the 35,000 people present at the stadium what was the takeaway? While in the case of football, you can actually watch and celebrate your team in the rain, it isn’t the case for cricket.
The IPL has become an addiction for many and with ticket prices being fairly steep, it isn’t always possible for all to go to the stadium. Yesterday was an aberration. Tickets were available and even if you wanted to buy one at the very last minute to watch your team play, you could actually do that.
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Sometimes, no matter how much you plan, nature is the ultimate showstopper. @RohanDC98 writes.#KKRvsPBKS #IPL2025https://t.co/FXkMK4OL1X
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) April 27, 2025
In fact, a lot of KKR supporters come from the suburbs. It takes at least two-three hours to commute and more on the way back at night. And these are the fans I am talking about. Each wanted to be there at Eden to watch their favourite stars play. Most wanted a KKR win but even a Shreyas Iyer celebration would have been acceptable. They wanted a full game and something to take back home. Around 10.30 pm, two of my colleagues mentioned that most of the crowd was trying to leave the stadium braving the rain. The storm was actually a fairly severe one and the shower was intense.
One of my reporters had to go to Konnagar, an hour or more from the city and another to Kalyani, a little more than an hour-and-a-half. Both finally reached home around 1 am. While for them it was work and the rain did not deter them from doing so, it isn’t the same for the fans. Many reached home past midnight and with nothing to show for in a rain abandoned match. This is where things don’t seem right.
While the rules are indeed clear and legally it is all very clearly mentioned that matches can indeed get abandoned and there is little that the organisers can do, just from fans’ perspective you kind of feel disappointed and let down. Many saved money to attend the game. Many used their day off to travel to Eden. Many planned it with family. It all turned to be a waste. And that’s where you tend to feel that the fan is the most neglected constituency of the game.
For us journalists, the work was to report on the game and we did so. For the players, sharing the spoils was the end result. For the broadcaster and the sponsors, the post-show and all else did happen. But what about the fan? What was his or her takeaway?
Disappointment and frustration in this case. I don’t know how, but perhaps we can all do better.