The familiar shade of red and gold has sheathed the Chinnaswamy stadium while the men, who wear that colour, are itching to find the fragrance of triumph on home terrain. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is finally upon us and as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) gear up for Sunday night’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SH), the clamour for tickets has steadily risen.
Virat Kohli’s men had a hit at the nets on Saturday and Chris Gayle scattered a few big hits. If that is a prelude to what’s in store, then the fans will have something to remember. But, crystal-ball gazing can wait as RCB has the immediate goal of getting back to winning games as its recent stint in the United Arab Emirates started with two victories but culminated in three defeats.
It helps that in the Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB has a familiar ally and Kohli dwelt upon that emotion. “It’s a lovely feeling to be back in Bangalore. People have seen how loud it gets here, noisy, red flags waving all around. They understand the game, very importantly. They are very nice, generous people and that sort of support is always welcomed by players and it’s an absolute lovely feeling to play in this stadium,” the RCB captain said.
The fans might have just one grouse though as the one Karnataka player they can root for, K.L. Rahul, will be playing for the visiting team. Sunrisers coach Tom Moody effusively praised the batsman and said, “He is an exciting young prospect.”
A brief drizzle interrupted RCB’s practice session. The fans though wouldn’t mind a scorching summer extending its footprint for the sake of cricket, at least on Sunday night!
Metro runs
Namma Metro will on Sunday operate trains from M.G. Road to Byappanahalli beyond its 10 p.m. deadline on account of the match. T L Ravi Prakash, senior manager with BMRCL, said additional trips would be operated every 20 minutes. The last train from M.G. Road will be at 12:20 a.m.
86 CCTV cameras to oversee IPL match
In light of the recent blast on board the Bangalore-Guwahati Express, the city police are working to ensure foolproof security for the IPL match scheduled for Sunday in Chinnaswamy stadium. Kamal Pant, Additional Commissioner (Law and Order) told The Hindu that nearly 1,000 police personnel led by Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar would be posted at the venue.
The stadium is being guarded round-the-clock. The police have installed 86 CCTV cameras to monitor all activities. Door frame metal detectors have been set up at the gates and all spectators will be frisked.
