Bengaluru: The heart of Bengaluru erupted into deafening whistles and chants of “RCB! RCB!” on Sunday night as thousands of fans thronged bars and cafes to watch Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase IPL glory for the second consecutive year.
Even though the match was being played over 1,000 kilometers away in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru’s main streets – Church Street, Brigade Road and MG Road – turned into a high-energy party zone.
From Church Road to Basavanagudi, the entire town held its breath. Although police had urged people not to hold mass road rallies or set off large fireworks for safety reasons, fans found every possible way to show their support.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium was empty inside, but the streets outside became ground zero for merchandise hunting.
Street vendors saw a rush as thousands of fans lined up to buy team flags, hats and jerseys. Nowhere was the energy more explosive than on Church Street, just a stone’s throw from the stadium. The whole stretch came to a standstill as bars, cafes and restaurants filled to capacity. The fans were completely glued to the screens.
“When Virat Kohli came out and started tearing apart the GT bowling attack, including a massive over on Kagiso Rabada, the road erupted.” said Varun, a long-time RCB fan.
“That Rabada over was pure madness,” said Rahul, a fan watching from a packed pub. “When Virat hit those back-to-back boundaries, the whole building literally shook. People were screaming.”
But just when victory was in sight, with just 11 runs needed off 24 balls, Kohli’s shot to mid-on was caught by a diving GT skipper Shubman Gill. The fans froze in disbelief, but relief came quickly when Kohli immediately reviewed the decision. Fans rejoiced as the third official overturned the call in the tense moments that followed.
And when Kohli’s six in the 18th over finally brought victory, the fans erupted in joy and echoed in unison: ‘RCB RCB’, ‘Ee sala nu cup namde (The cup is ours this year too)’.
Earlier in the day, the desperation to see RCB win the championship for the second consecutive year led many fans to believe. At temples across the city, people broke coconuts and offered special prayers for the team’s victory, hoping that rain would not spoil the match.
With tickets sold out for the final, local fans invaded the city’s shopping areas. Families and groups of friends reserved seats at movie screenings at Orion and Lulu malls to recreate a stadium-like atmosphere. Restaurants and darshinas across the city were packed, with customers glued to television screens.
