Soaring mercury levels can’t stop cricket fans from flooding Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal
UPDATE – Mon 03 Apr 23 12:14am
Fans cheer for Sunrisers Hyderabad during their IPL match against Rajasthan Royals at the Uppal Stadium on Sunday. – Photo: Surya Sridhar
Hyderabad: Soaring mercury levels couldn’t stop cricket fans from flooding the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal on Sunday to witness the city’s first Indian Premier League (IPL) match after three years, hosts Hyderabad Day Out to face the Rajasthan royals.
Fans started lining up in the sweltering heat as early as 1pm. When the Metro was full, the long queue at the gate of the Uppal Stadium was enough to show that the city crowd missed the IPL. The last IPL match in Hyderabad was in 2019 and the tournament has only now resumed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The stadium was nearly full before the game, and there was a lot of cheering when the first pitch was delivered. A sea of orange fills the stadium, giving it a festive feel. Some 29,845 spectators were in the stadium when the game started, and by the end of the first inning the stands were packed to a capacity of 37,731.
The Rajasthan Royals match turned out to be a perfect stage, much to the entertainment of the spectators. The provided track runners ran over 200 runs in the first inning.
But it was the Oranges – fans of Sunrisers Hyderabad – who cheered loudest every time the hosts’ bowlers hit a wicket.
“It was great to see my favorite team play live after a long time. We missed that. Although my favorite player (David) Warner is gone, I am happy to see the Sunrisers play ,” said Anand, an IT employee.
However, fans started leaving the stadium long before the end of the game as the Sunrisers never gave chase, losing wickets on a regular basis.
