WPL 2024: Bengaluru welcomes new Women’s Premier League season with restrained eagerness

Amidst the anticipation swirling across the Women’s Premier League, set to kick off its new season in Bengaluru, there appears to be a low hum in comparison with the thunderous roar one would possibly anticipate. 

Having witnessed the league’s inception and its inaugural season hosted in Mumbai, the completion of 1 cycle brings hope and curiosity to cricket fanatics in Bengaluru.

The metropolis, famend for its steadfast assist, particularly evident throughout matches that includes its beloved franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, wears an air of restrained eagerness. As followers trickle in the direction of M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, there’s a palpable sense of anticipation, albeit subdued in comparison with the one seen throughout different cricketing occasions.

Walking across the stadium’s neighborhood, one notices absence of the standard paraphernalia that usually adorns sports activities crowds. Flags, placards, and staff equipment are conspicuously lacking, leaving an sudden void within the ambiance. The absence of jersey distributors, specifically, raises eyebrows and hints at a possible disconnect between the league and its fan base.

However, the BCCI is stirring anticipation with a gap ceremony headlined by Bollywood icon and Kolkata Knight Riders proprietor, Shah Rukh Khan, alongside fellow celebrities Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, and Tiger Shroff. In a bid to captivate the native viewers, additionally it is granting 500 complementary tickets to girls for the inaugural match and slashing ticket costs to a wallet-friendly 100-200 rupees per seat.

Sandesh Gautam, Zameer Mozam and Pawan Shivaji Panchal — followers who travelled from Bidar.
| Photo Credit:
MAYANK

The transfer, no less than for now, appeared to have labored. “I’m a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan. That’s why I came here. Not that I don’t like watching women’s cricket, but I had planned to watch only RCB games. I’m glad Shah Rukh is coming, now I have one more reason to watch one extra game,” stated Zameer Mozam, a fan exterior the stadium. 

Sandesh Gautam, Zameer’s pal, felt the town lacked the promoting and hoardings he had seen for the IPL. “They should have placed more posters throughout the city. Usually, buses and metro trains are covered in RCB colours, but I haven’t seen anything yet,” he stated. 

The third pal within the group interrupted Gautam as he believed “WPL will take its time” earlier than grabbing the eyeballs of a bigger mass.

“This is still a new tournament. It will take another two to three years before everyone knows about it. They have big hitters in the IPL who are extremely catchy. “ Yeh nawa nawa tournament hai, time ke saath IPL jaisa famous ho jayega (It’s a new tournament, it will become famous like IPL over time),” justified Pawan Shivaji Panchal.

The trio had travelled from Bidar, a Karnataka-Maharashtra border city 700 kilometres from Bengaluru, to seem for the SSC GD examination.  

However, the shortage of readability additionally compelled Shyam Bhanoj and Mukesh Singh to return empty-handed. The duo travelled 45 minutes to the stadium, excited to spend their off day whereas watching Bollywood numbers alongside some high quality cricket. 

“We had to buy tickets offline from the stadium during the IPL, so we figured, why not go there and buy them at the counter? We never received any information about online tickets until now. And, when we checked online, there was only one stand available for booking, which is now also sold out,” stated Mukesh. 

Roughly 2000 kilometres away from their house metropolis of Ranchi the place a decided Indian males’s staff is competing towards England to defy its type of cricket, Hitesh Nayak and Rahul Murmu have been strolling round Gate 16, uncertain whether or not they might enter the stadium 4 hours earlier or not. 

“I love cricket. I’m not sure what the difference is between the men’s and women’s teams. You would have seen me at the JSCA Stadium if I hadn’t been here,” stated Hitesh, who considers himself a die-hard cricket fan. He acknowledged that he’ll make each effort to attend every recreation. 

Near the stadium, Mallahai, a lone jersey vendor, awaits the surge of pre and post-match demand, his stock dominated by the enduring blue of Virat Kohli quite than the colors of the ladies’s groups. 

Mallahai, an area jersey vendor close to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
MAYANK

Mallahai is a Bengaluru native. He claims to know the ‘nerves’ of these current. When requested about different jersey distributors, he stated, “They’ll all arrive after 6.”

“There is high demand for 18-number jerseys. What’s her name? Mandhana? But nothing is available. I only have RCB’s IPL jersey and the best-seller Virat Kohli.”  

It’s a refined reminder of the journey that lies forward when it comes to elevating the visibility and enchantment of ladies’s cricket, and whereas the promise of superstar appearances, together with Bollywood stars, would possibly draw crowds initially, the true check lies in garnering natural, sustainable assist from the area people.