New Delhi: Recently, when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) took on home team Mumbai Indians (MI) in a high-adrenaline match at Wankhede Stadium, it was nothing short of war.
A rather unfortunate run-out, of Mumbai batsman Ambati Rayudu, led to the crowd booing Bangalore captain Virat Kohli and calling him "cheater" for the rest of the match. Virat, who was evidently upset, later said, "The crowd should remember that I play for India, too."
While regional fanaticism is yet to make its big mark in the IPL, the incident has led many to wonder whether it will turn out to be like the European football leagues.
"Incidents like these are quite common in the West. Be it European football matches or American baseball or Superbowl fixtures, regional fanaticism is always present," says Avinash Kumar, a software engineer. While the past few years have seen heated games between teams like Chennai Super Kings, RCB and MI, none of them had seen fans take to such booing. Ajinkya D, a MI fan who was at the stadium, says, "Sometimes, it is all about reacting to the moment.
We, as Mumbai fans, felt that it was a wrong decision (the run-out). Kohli, as the Bangalore captain, should have called him back in the name of sportsmanship. Hence, the "cheater" call was a natural thing."
Rajshri Thakur, a marketing professional, states, "I once watched Manchester United in a game against Manchester City. The fans booed the rival team throughout the game and when the home team lost, a few fans even ended up having fistfights with the rival team's fans.
This kind of sports fanaticism is quite common outside India. It was only a matter of time for IPL to follow suit."
Sports psychologist Shree Advani says, "Why won't there be fanaticism when it's the country's favourite sport with teams representing different regions? When we watch a sportsman perform, we see him put in his/her complete being, be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. And if he or she loses, the way they take defeat in their stride makes them one's role model. In this match, people expected Kohli to be the bigger person and let the Mumbai batsman stay. But people don't realise that sport isn't perfect. Recently, Saina Nehwal was knocked out of the Indian Open because of one wrong line call. People need to understand that, but their love for the sport usually blinds their rationale."
The current IPL rivalries:
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings have matches with fans emotionally charged up.
Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders matches have fans fighting it out too.
Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab matches have fans charged up.
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians matches have taken a fanatic turn too.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings matches have fans at their emotionally charged best too.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings matches have also seen fights between fans. |
