Though RCB lost, I was happy for… | Blog by Arnav, 11, Bangalore

Guess who was in the Chinnaswamy stadium for an IPL match? If you guessed me, you would win a cookie! I went to my first live match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The match I saw was RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore) versus GT (Gujarat Titans). 

It was the last group game of the 2023 IPL. GT had qualified for the playoffs while RCB needed a win to qualify.

The day was going well. I had eaten lunch and was getting ready for the match. It was scheduled for 7.30 pm. However, Bangalore being Bangalore, it started to rain! Thankfully, the rain stopped and my dad and I left for the Metro station.

Once we arrived, we parked the car and took the train and oh the crowd! There was barely any place to stand, let alone sit, nonetheless we got off at Cubbon Park station and went to the stadium. We went inside and found our seat, however it was very wet and the toss was delayed.

At 6:50 pm, almost an hour after we arrived, the ground was cleared and the covers started coming out. The toss happened and the playing XI was given, however at 7:15 pm, it started raining again. During this time, we had dinner which included chhole, rice, salad, mixed vegetables and badusha sweet. Outside, they served coke, samosa, popcorn, pizza etc. 

After that, we went up to our seats. It stopped raining. The ground staff took the covers off and the match started.

RCB batted first. During the powerplay (over 1-6), They smashed like crazy, every ball was going to the boundary, 4 6 4 4 etc. Everyone jumped like crazy monkeys after every ball. However, wickets started to fall fast. Despite that, Kohli powered through and hit a 100. In the end, thanks to Kohli, RCB finished with 197/5.

Then, GT batted. They started slow. After the 10th over, Shubman Gill smashed away for GT leading them to win with 5 balls to spare. He hit a brilliant 104 not out. Even though RCB lost, I was happy that I got to experience a live match at a stadium. 

You may be wondering what is the difference between going to a match and watching it on TV, well, there is a lot! 

1. Between Overs
   Between overs, at home we see only advertisements on TV but during that time, the batters, bowlers, on-field umpires and fielders switch ends. This is hard to see on TV as there are two separate main cameras on opposite ends switching each over.
2. Strategic Timeout-
   During this time, the announcer asks the audience to do some fun stuff like dancing, mexican wave, chanting slogans, turning on mobile flash lights etc.
3. Live Sounds-
   When you watch a match on TV, you do not see or hear the cheers, the DJ and the music. This is because you hear what the commentary box says. The commentary box has a powerful noise cancellation system so that people on TV can hear the commentators clearly without noise from the stadium.
4. Immersive atmosphere
   Nothing beats the energy of a live match. Almost everyone turned up for the match wearing the jersey of their team (here in Chinnaswamy it was a sea of red). When you go to a live match, you are sitting with passionate fans and you cheer for your team even if they are losing, something you probably don’t do at home.
5. Cost
   However, these advantages come at a high cost- (literally). The cheapest ticket in a stadium is Rs 600 and online tickets could go up to Rs. 12,000 per ticket so make sure you have saved enough money before buying a ticket.

So that is that, my first ever IPL experience! I had a great time and gained a new respect for the stadium staff and security who work so hard to make sure we have fun watching cricket.