May 19, 2018
I'm not a cricket enthusiast but did attend one IPL match. Pushpa likes to watch cricket and this was the first ever live match. The match venue was International Cricket Stadium near Uppal, about 24 kilometers from our home. It was an hour long drive through peak hour traffic. Having reached the stadium by 6-15 PM it wasn't difficult to find a vacant spot at the car parking lot. We passed though the security with just our phones and a bag. Close to the inner gate was a mini-stage for fans to stand with Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson.
The stadium was half filled as we entered and steady inflow was increasing the crowd. It was mostly SRH supporters, they were very excited. Being home ground, Sunrisers were all set to receive immense support, the spectators' area turned orange when the flags waved. KKR fans were sparse and scattered but equally excited.
A huge cheer went up when players entered the ground for warm up. People yelled to get players' attention but they remained focused on their workout. Then the cheers leaders entered and jogged around the ground. There were six stages setup, 3 each for each team. They looked fit and their movements in sync.
SRH won the toss, chose to bat. With few overs gone, I felt batting was slow. At the end of 20 overs the score stood at 172 for 9. The last over bowler took a hatrick. KKR batting took off well, the first 12 overs their run rate was constantly around 10 or 11. Enthusiasm waned, SRH supporters lost hope and people started leaving. In fact group of 20 was down to 7 with 5 overs to go. The last three overs were exciting, KKR lost 3 wickets and SRH actually had a chance to win. The pressure was on with 3 runs needed of 4 balls. KKR played it cool and closed the game at 173 for 5. It was a close ending indeed. SRH fans were sad but the consolation was their team was leading in overall points. Here are our souvenirs.. soft-drink cups and tickets.
Coming out of the stadium was easy and quick but driving out from the parking lot lasted one hour. The route was clogged with several bottlenecks, drivers were simply impatient. I guess many were hungry and tired. We too were famished. Reached home by 1-45 AM.
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