For cricket crazy Hyderabadis, the big match on Wednesday night under lights at the Uppal stadium might well be another carnival of sorts. Having already responded by turning up in big numbers to support the home team – Sunrisers Hyderabad – in the previous games, fans are hoping for a high-voltage duel with the Chennai Super Kings.
“We are grateful to the Hyderabadis for their great support and treating us as Mana Hyderabad,” exclaimed SRH mentor and former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth. But again, fans are expecting a cracker of a contest in the IPL game tomorrow. “I don’t think we can have a better sight than a Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma bowling at their best to some of the best batsmen like Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, M. S. Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo to name a few,” says another fan who was there at the ‘nets’ this evening.
Even as security is expected to be tight given the special status of Dhoni, there are many fans who are dejected for not being allowed to carry mobile phones into the stands which has been the case in most of the IPL venues. “We feel dejected when many in the VIP enclosures and the influential move around with mobiles and click pictures. Why we should be denied this?” asks Ch. V. Murthy, a former league player.
Despite vendors most likely to be back to their familiar tricks by creating false scarcity of drinking water to ensure better sale of soft drinks and snacks at exorbitant rates, fans will be there to enjoy another big contest.
