As the Indian Premier League (IPL) returns, fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru are once again experiencing nail-biting moments as they root for their team. As they gather around their screens, tensed, they cannot help but want to do anything to make their team win even if they’re not the ones playing.
For many fans, superstitions and lucky charms play a significant role while rooting for their favourite team. “I wear the RCB jersey or a red shirt or both to show support and to feel less anxious about the outcome. When I wear it, I feel like I’ve done my part,” shares Aamir Sohail, an ardent RCB fan.
The sentiment is echoed by other fans of RCB like Ganesh Palankar; as he notes, “I have been an RCB fan since the beginning. I wear my lucky shirt during all RCB matches,” adding, “I mostly try to avoid watching the matches live because I feel like if I watch them play they won’t play well. I also have friends who pray to god specifically on the match days. They go to Hanuman temples on Saturday, Devi temples on Tuesday or Friday.”
For theatre actor Tapaswini Yukti Varshneya and her family, supporting RCB at home is a game in itself. “If four of us are watching and someone leaves the room while RCB gets a wicket, we insist on them staying out of the room until we get a sufficient amount of wickets,” jokes Varshneya, adding, “My brother sometimes hides in the kitchen or stands in a particular position while watching the game, so we get the desired output or a sixer.”
Sitting on a lucky seat or a lucky spot at home is not a move unheard of. Alwin Lawrence, head of scouting at Bangalore Football Club, shares, “If I’m watching from home and have sat in a particular spot when RCB is batting and a couple of sixers are being smashed around the park, I try not to move out of that position. If and when I do move and a wicket falls, I try scurrying back into that seat again hoping it was the lucky seat.”
When asked about where these superstitions come from, Sohail mentions, “The ritual of wearing the same shirt began when I started wearing the team’s colour to show support. And eventually when they kept winning, I kept doing the same thing.” This sense of trying to assert control is a key aspect of the IPL experience for many. “Last time when RCB was playing, my brother decided to mute the TV; as soon as he did that, RCB started playing well,” laughs Varshneya.
In cricket fandoms, the IPL is more than just a tournament – it is a celebration of hope intertwined with ritualistic belief. “I don’t really believe superstition contributes. Rather, we follow them to get the feeling that we [the team] are going to win,” says Palankar.
Adding on to that, Lawrence notes, “It almost certainly has no or zero impact on the team’s success, but from one’s perspective and involvement in the game – if it works and gives you the feel-good factor that you’ve somehow contributed towards the team’s success, then why not?”