The cricket season is in full frenzy mode with the Indian Premier League 2016 (IPL 9) underway and for the cricket fans of Vizag, the fervour has reached the peak as the city gets ready to host six matches. The cricketing action begins on May 8 when Mumbai Indians take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the ACA-VDCA Stadium.
Cricket lovers in the city are waiting with bated breath to share the excitement of the cricketainment called IPL. “It is a huge bonanza for Vizag. When the IPL season began, we were disappointed to see no matches scheduled to be held here. Now, the action has shifted to the city. The ACA VDCA stadium has been Dhoni’s favourite. This is where he scored his first century. It is a great wicket for cricketers,” says Munir Aarif, who plays corporate cricket and also represents the Solos Cricket Club. The IPL craze and the popularity of 20-20 format of cricket have also seeped into corporate cricket in the city. The Twenty-20 Corporate Cricket Tournament organised by Faza Foundation that was started in the year 2014 has seen the formation of 16 teams who lock horns with each other to play competitive cricket. “This is the city’s first corporate cricket format. We play the same format like the IPL,” adds Munir, who will be the liaison officer of the IPL teams playing in Vizag.
The college campuses in the city are abuzz with excitement. Rohit Patnaik, who is a leg spinner in his college cricket team, has put his bets on Royal Challengers Bangalore. “My next favourite is Mumbai Indians and I am hoping to catch the action live in the stadium. More than team favourites, I feel if your favourite player is there, you will support the team for sure,” says the third year B.Com student of Gayatri Vidya Parishad. “As far as personal choices go, I am huge fan of AB De Villiers and Chris Gayle,” he adds.
R. Pavan Kumar, who plays district level cricket, says watching IPL matches live here will give great inspiration to budding cricketers. “It is a dream to watch our favourite cricketers like Dhoni play live. I closely follow Kohli’s batting style and try to follow his techniques,” says the aspiring cricketer.
Ravi Krishna, a Bollywood fan, is a hardcore supporter of KKR. “For me, Shahrukh is the king and his team is what I support. Unfortunately they are not playing in the city. So my next vote goes to Dhoni. We have made plans to see the match in the stadium here. And for Shahrukh I will be carrying a special message to the stadium,” says the first year intermediate student.
Many cricket fans say they are following the series by playing the IPL Fantasy League online, which is the new craze of fantasy sport where you play the virtual selector of a real game. All you do here is pick a squad online. Track your players’ progress and sit back and collect points. And win a grand prize, if you have been a smart selector. Fandromeda, an independent product from Bengaluru-based TenTenTen, is conducting the official fantasy league from the last three editions of the IPL and has caught the fancy of the cricket crazy nation. “We have made our own league with 13 friends and we compete against each other.
It is a very exciting format where we get to choose our own team and also closely follow the IPL matches,” says Siddhartha, a bank executive.
MATCHES
May 8: MI vs SRH (4 p.m)
May 10: RPS vs SRH (8 pm.)
May 13: MI vs. Kings XI Punjab (8 p.m.)
May 15: MI vs Delhi Dare Devils (8 p.m.)
May 17: RPS vs DD (8 p.m.)
May 21: RPS vs. KXIP (4 p.m.)
