BENGALURU: For what feels like aeons, fiercely loyal fans of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have been chanting ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde’ at every opportunity they get. But for the last few seasons of IPL, those once-hopeful words began to ring hollow, as the team consistently failed to live up to lofty expectations. But the recent triumph of the RCB women’s team in the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has reignited the spark for many disillusioned fans, while administering a fresh dose of hope for those that have stayed true to the team.
“To be completely honest, I stopped supporting the men’s RCB team a while ago. I’m a Kannadiga, but I was disappointed with the way the team managed its players,” shares Madhuri B, a marketing professional, adding, “But when the WPL began, I started supporting the RCB women’s team and it was amazing to watch them lift that trophy. I think that has also kind of changed my mind about the men’s team. I have never been to a men’s team match before, but this time I want to go watch them live and support them.”
Abhishek Singh, a financial advisor and staunch RCB supporter since the team’s inception, agrees. “The WPL title has changed fan perception,” he says, “People are more hopeful than ever that the men’s team can finally emulate that success.” This newfound optimism has fuelled a surge in demand for tickets to RCB’s matches - a surge that has ironically left many fans like Singh unable to secure seats. “There’s been a huge demand compared to previous years,” he says, adding, “I wanted to go for the match against CSK but it wasn’t possible. Hopefully, I can book early enough for the upcoming matches and witness the live action,”
For fans like Rahul Deshpande, a senior risk analyst, the initial attraction of the team was its local flavour. “I have been a fan of RCB since its inception, mainly due to the local flavour that we had initially with Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble. As we proceed we have had local stars like Akhil Balchandra and Vinay Kumar and the craze started getting even more with stars like Ross Taylor. Not just the players, but supporting the city itself excites us being a Kannadiga. The Chinnaswamy atmosphere when we go and watch the matches is completely mad,” he shares. But over the years, fans have expressed disappointment at the team for ignoring local talent.
This season, however, the team decided to bring the Kannadiga identity to the fore. “The team seems to be finally listening to their fans and bringing the Kannada identity to the fore. Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar unveiled their new jersey at an event that was predominantly done in Kannada. Virat Kohli even said that ‘Idu RCB ya hosa adhyaya’,” shares Sumanth Shivakumar, an analog photographer.
(RCB vs KKR at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, on March 29)