RCB players greet the fans after winning the match against CSK in Bengaluru on May 18.
| Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

On an overcast Saturday, with fears of a washout of the make-or-break IPL clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings looming, thousands of cricket fans made their way to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Finally, it turned out to be an encounter that they would remember for a long time. RCB qualified for the playoffs, beating CSK by 27 runs.

After the match, jubilant RCB fans were seen rejoicing at many places in the CBD, especially on M.G. Road, Brigade Road, and Church Street. Fans set off crackers to celebrate RCB’s spectacular comeback. Several CSK supporters were seen leaving the stadium disappointed.

The atmosphere inside and outside the stadium was electric, with the fan frenzy peaking much ahead of the match in the evening. Hours before the match, long queues and a sea of red, blue, and yellow jerseys were seen everywhere around the stadium and in the Namma Metro trains and stations. Vendors who were face painting or selling merchandise did brisk business.

Ticket counters were crowded with people trying to grab the last tickets before the match. On the other hand, tickets for the game were being sold in black at exorbitant prices.

According to an RCB fan who bought a ticket on May 17, a ticket priced ₹4,800 was sold for ₹15,000. The ones priced ₹2,990 was being offered for ₹13,000. On May 18 afternoon, tickets priced around ₹4,000 were allegedly being offered for ₹20,000 in black.

With a surge in demand for tickets, scamsters were on the prowl. Cyber scamsters, after showing physical tickets, allegedly asked fans to make a payment using a QR code. Some fans claim that while some were asking for an OTP, in many cases, suspected cybercriminals are sending fake messages claiming that money was not transferred. Hence, buyers end up making multiple transactions only to realise that they have been victims of a scam.

Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni were clearly the big draws of the day. Sachin from Belagavi, who was spotted outside the stadium with his young children, said, “They are more excited just to see Dhoni. My daughter doesn’t know anything about cricket, but she’s still a big Dhoni fan. That’s why I brought my two children to this match.”

A group of RCB fans expressed their joy over the team’s recent performance. “RCB has won five matches in a row and has been performing really well this IPL,” said Suprajeet.

Samannoya Roy, an IPL fan since 2011 and a big M.S. Dhoni supporter, was hoping for the rains to come to the aid of CSK. “I wish it rains during this match so CSK can directly qualify for the finals. This year, CSK hasn’t been as strong as in previous years, especially their bowling lineup. RCB, on the other hand, has a power-packed batting lineup. So, I wouldn’t mind if rain leads to CSK directly qualifying.”

(With inputs from Aryan Bhatt, Poorvi S., Aasaavari Mohana Gobburu, Debasmita Chowdhury, Parvati Nair, Adithi A.)