The experience was enthralling, may be I was destined to be overwhelmed by the sheer passion for the game. We started out early for the match and were there in the stadium 90 minutes earlier. We finally got settled in a vantage point with close proximity to the ground and the cheerleaders :). The crowd was charged up and was getting ready for what turned out to be the run feast of IPL with over 460 runs scored in 40 overs.
The first innings was really rocking, with Vijay in sublime form and dealing with just 4s and 6s (in total he scored 98 runs this way). We were dancing standing on the chairs for every 4 and 6, the whole atmosphere was electrified by the catalytic drum beats by Sivamani, he surely is a genius.
With 247 to defend I thought we won't be challenged by the Royals but it turned out that I was wrong, Naman Ojha and Shane Watson had other plans. One has to appreciate the fighting spirit of the royals but the score and the pressure was too high to handle. In the end some good cricketing sense prevailed and Bollinger made all the difference, the crowd fell in love with him just for THE CATCH alone.
In the end it was a fulfilling experience, watching many of the superstars pretty close, seeing tons of runs scored, catching the glimpse of the cheerleaders up close and above all being part of the crowd that saw the home team win!
