Cricket back at the Chinnaswamy – Visualising the festive atmosphere for RCB-SRH game
Who is an archetypal Indian cricket fan? One way to gauge that would be to visit the Chinnaswamy Stadium during an international or an IPL game. Just near the main gate, one would observe hundreds of fans whistling, chatting and holding flags of either RCB or CSK. Along that stretch of road, those passionate supporters would be fervently waiting for the team buses to arrive. Just a glimpse of Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni sitting inside the bus would be enough for the fans to jump up and down and wave their hands.
A few metres away, near a couple of massive peepal trees, with fans walking back and forth, the footpath might get congested. Yet one would observe children and elders alike performing a balancing act in order to walk past the trees. Once an IPL match begins, the atmosphere inside the stadium becomes so fervent that, a decade ago, the writer recalls travelling along that stretch of road in a taxi and faintly hearing chants of “AB, AB, Kohli”. That gives an indication of the deafening sound inside the ground.
Unfortunately, in the backdrop of the tragic stampede incident on June 4 last year, cricket came to a standstill. Perhaps around 2.5 lakh fans had gathered outside the stadium, with another 1.5 lakh near the Vidhana Soudha as people waited with bated breath for RCB’s victory parade to start. Along those roads, fans had climbed trees and even buses and trucks that had stopped due to traffic and the expected parade. Some of them also ended up jumping over the main gate in an attempt to enter the ground. Eventually, all hell broke loose, resulting in the loss of lives.
A lot has changed since then. At the administrative level, the Venkatesh Prasad-led team has taken over the reins of the KSCA. After extensive discussions with the state government and the concerned authorities, they obtained permission to recommence international and IPL matches at the ground. The KSCA also had to undertake civic works, including lengthening and raising the gates, ensuring the availability of ambulances, access for fire engines, increased water tank capacity, parking facilities and more.
By the time RCB lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 in the 2026 IPL opener, the renovation work is expected to be complete. More importantly, the essence of that day will be about thousands of fans thronging the stadium. RCB’s next home game is against arch-rivals CSK. For that contest, the atmosphere outside the stadium could make one wonder whether the two sets of fans are gearing up to take part in a conflict.
It is true that the concerned authorities may take more precautionary steps this time around, including blocking traffic on both sides of the road. But on March 28, the iconic stadium will once again open its doors for cricket, bringing back evocative memories of some past classics – the India-Pakistan Test in 1987, India versus Pakistan and Australia versus India in 1996, England taking on Ireland in 2011, RCB locking horns with CSK in 2024, and more.
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