Before the highly anticipated contest, the tournament began with megastar and KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan taking the centrestage by storm at the opening ceremony. He got Virat Kohli and Rinku Singh to dance to the tunes of his popular numbers “Jhoome Jo Pathan” and “Lutt Putt Gaya”.
Although the match turned out to be a lacklustre affair, with RCB comfortably securing the two points by chasing down 175 in 16.2 overs, Eden Gardens put on a spectacular show. The iconic venue was divided between passionate RCB and KKR fans. While there was no “red wave” in the stands, RCB supporters ensured they gave KKR fans a run for their money with loud cheers for their beloved team, especially Virat Kohli. Eden Gardens is home for KKR fans, a passionate bunch who are loud and proud about their team. However, only a few franchises can overpower KKR fans inside the Eden and RCB fans turned out to be among them.
About four hours before the match, the streets outside Eden Gardens painted an intriguing picture, with mostly red jerseys bearing “18 Kohli” on the back. KKR fans started to stream in later, but it remains debatable which fan-base was the loudest. In the 14th over, a young fan breached security and dived at Kohli’s feet, before security personnel escorted him away amid loud cheers from the crowd.
There were “KKR, KKR” chants too, and a massive tifo from their KKR fans with “Champions” written on it, adorned with three stars representing their triple IPL trophies. However, their roars couldn’t quite match the “RCB, RCB” chants on decibel count, possibly due to KKR’s poor performance.
Shreya Ghoshal had the entire Eden Gardens singing “Vande Mataram” in a moment that gave everyone goosebumps at the jam-packed venue. While the performances by Disha Patani and Karan Aujla fell flat, thousands inside Eden Gardens and millions on their streaming devices witnessed a chat of a lifetime between SRK and Kohli.
“Virat bhai is the only player who has been associated with just one team throughout the entirety of the IPL. He is the OG, the GOAT of IPL,” said SRK before inviting Kohli on stage. “The king of 22 yards and a billion hearts! Let’s hear it loudest for the one and only GOAT, Mr. Virat Kohli.”
The entire stadium, even those wearing KKR jerseys, began singing “Kohli” as the icon walked on stage. “Thank you, Shah Rukh bhai, for the lovely introduction,” said Kohli. “The bold generation is coming along nicely, but the old generation is still here, ready to make an impact, still ready to play the game and keep creating memories for these fans,” he added.
Later, when Rinku Singh took the stage, the stadium started chanting “Rinku, Rinku”. That’s what IPL is — a get-together of cricket and entertainment, a celebration of cricketers. There were stunning drone and light shows as the two captains, Ajinkya Rahane (KKR) and Rajat Patidar (RCB), were introduced by the ‘Badshah of Bollywood.’ The duo headed toward the centre on a float, with Kolkata’s traditions clearly visible, featuring “Dhunuchi naach” and “Dhaak” performances.
While the Badshah stole the proceedings before the match, the King was the showstopper with the bat in the end.