Ahmedabad is set to host the first two games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. The table-toppers—Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)—will compete in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will compete in the Eliminator the following day. The Narendra Modi Stadium—the world’s largest—is all decked out to welcome the four competitors but not the local fans.
The elimination of the home team – Gujarat Titans – has primarily toned down the excitement levels in Ahmedabad. Adding to it, the absence of the big guns – CSK and MI – has further played the killjoy. Now that the three of these giants have been knocked out, the people of Ahmedabad aren’t excited enough for the KKR vs SRH fixture. In contrast, most cricket lovers are putting their money on the Eliminator, which features RCB and, more importantly, the poster boy – Virat Kohli.
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RCB coming into playoffs was no less than a miracle. Nobody had thought that a team languishing at the bottom of the table for close to a month would brush aside six opponents, one after another, to storm into the knockouts. Keeping the first five victorious encounters in the business end, RCB’s triumph against defending champions Chennai Super Kings created the hype so much so that the fans in Ahmedabad are keen to pay extra for the Eliminator tickets, obviously not via online portals but in black, outside the venue.
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A day before Qualifier 1, News18 CricketNext talked to one of the executives at the ticket counter to get an idea about the rush for both games at the Narendra Modi Stadium. No wonder he said a decent number of seats were available for Qualifier 1 while the Eliminator had limited seats left.
“If you want to book tickets now [at 7:30 PM on May 19], you can go to the app and get it done. There are several seats available,” he said.
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“The tickets for the Eliminator were sold out for now. The sale of the new lot will begin again at some point. There is a huge demand for the second game, maybe because of Virat Kohli,” he added.
Meanwhile, the website found a volunteer helping the fans with physical ticket collection. He had a straight answer, “Qualifier ke liye utna craze nahi hai. Sab Virat Kohli ke peeche pagal hain [The craze is more for the Eliminator than the Qualifier. People are crazy for Virat Kohli]. The second game will go houseful, no doubt about it.”
On checking the official ticket-booking app almost an hour after speaking to both of them (at 20:30 hrs on May 19), it was found that the Eliminator tickets were back on sale but were on the verge of getting completely sold out. The number of seats available for the KKR vs SRH fixture was much higher than that for the RR vs RCB encounter.
Outside the venue, small vendors had already gathered to sell the jerseys of all four teams in the knockouts. But fans were more interested in spending money on the RCB T-shirts, priced higher than the others. Even the Dhoni shirts were being sold at Rs 200.
“RCB wala 250 ka, baaki koi bhi lo 150 lagega [RCB shirt will cost Rs 250. All others are worth Rs 150],” said one of the vendors to CricketNext.
What’s in the store in Chennai?
The last two knockout games are scheduled in Chennai, where fans hope to see the legendary MS Dhoni having his final hurrah. But CSK’s last-minute exit has shattered the hopes of countless fans eagerly waiting for their ‘Thala’.
Going by the mood in Ahmedabad, if Kohli’s RCB didn’t get the ticket to Chennai and end their journey with a loss to the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, it will be worth noticing if the tournament could maintain its charm in the absence of CSK.
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