Russell power lights up Eden stands as KKR clinches win in last-ball thriller
Times of India | 24 March 2024
Kolkata: With KKR hosting their first match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata warmed up to the annual doze of cricket and entertainment on Saturday. The triumph of Shreyas Iyer and his boys over SRH in the opening game made the occasion sweeter for die-hard KKR fans who thronged the stadium on Saturday.
Vaibhav Gupta from Asansol reached the Eden Gardens around 4pm, determined not to miss any crucial moment of the match. Lipi Sarkar made a short stop near Akashvani Bhavan to get KKR colours painted on her cheeks before entering the stadium. Thousands of KKR fans like Gupta and Sarkar are looking forward to six weeks of exciting T20 cricket featuring best players in the world. Roads leading to Eden reverberated with the chants of ‘Ami KKR’ with fans waving the purple flag.
Gupta was one of the early birds in the stadium, accompanied by friends Samarth and Sarthak. The student trio was determined not to miss anything — from a close-up view of the players to Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of KKR, blowing kisses to his fans from the corporate box.
“We booked the tickets much in advance and reached very early today. IPL is also about the vibe outside the stadium along with actual cricket. We don’t want to miss anything,” said Gupta.
Even before the match started, there were more than 50,000 IPL enthusiasts who trooped in to enjoy the first match of this season’s IPL at Eden Gardens. The energy in the ground ebbed a little when the home team lost three early wickets.
“Yes, it was not the start we were hoping for though Phil Salt did hit three consecutive sixes. But we have a good batting line up and the score will be a formidable one,” said another KKR fan in the stands. KKR did finish with a healthy total of 208 on board, which proved just enough for SRH.
Several fans who could not lay their hands on the tickets on time or wanted to plan for Holi watched the match at home. “I had to buy a few things for Holi, so I decided to watch the match at home. But I will definitely be watching some of the KKR matches at the stadium in the coming weeks,” said Kunal Shaw, a resident of Howrah Maidan.