All roads lead to Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Uppal on Sunday for the high-voltage IPL final featuring Rising Pune Supergiant and Mumbai Indians.
A capacity crowd is expected to witness the first-ever IPL final to be held in the city. There is excitement in the air and the fans are more than eager to be out there in the stands to get a feel of what it means to witness a match of this magnitude.
The fact that the tickets for the final were almost sold out by Friday afternoon even as the fans didn’t wait to know who the other finalist was (at that time) to take on Rising Pune Supergiant is perhaps a reminder of the big hit IPL has been with the fans, especially the Hyderabadis. For their part, HCA officials, including president G. Vivekanand, and Secretary T. Seshnarayan and their team of officials, have been part of the system which is coordinating with the two administrators appointed by the Hyderabad High Court for the conduct of the IPL.
The officials take pride in the fact that all the IPL games in Hyderabad this season have been incident-free and widely appreciated by almost all the visiting teams in terms of getting the best playing conditions, including wickets.
Though there is a tinge of disappointment among a section of fans with defending champions and home crowd favourites, Sunrisers Hyderabad, bowing out in the play-offs, many are eagerly waiting for the match for they hope it would be a classic contest involving some of the biggest players in contemporary cricket.
Despite the temperatures hotting up in the last couple of days, when it comes to cricket under lights, the Hyderabadis have always lapped up the opportunity to be present closest to the action. A perfect setting, for sure. And, there will be fireworks too – not just from the players – to paint the sky!
