By Admin 
After the BCCI suspended the Indian Premier League in view of the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, cricket fans who had assembled for Friday’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Lucknow Super Giants clash at the Ekana Stadium here were left a disappointed lot.
Though all fans whom The Hindu spoke to were in agreement with the decision to cancel the matches in “national interest”, the tinge of sadness was inescapable. Supporters numbering more than 200 – mainly of RCB and Virat Kohli – had arrived from far flung places in Uttar Pradesh as early as noon, undeterred by the blistering summer sun.
“I paid ₹5000 for one ticket and wanted to watch Kohli,” said Shubham from Gorakhpur. “But I had expected something like this would happen because the points table was not updated after the Punjab Kings – Delhi Capitals match on Thursday. But it’s fine. They had no choice but to cancel. I just hope the same tickets are valid whenever the tournament restarts.”
Pavan Kumar, a local merchandise seller, had started putting up his temporary stall as early as 11.30 a.m. But that was also when news first started filtering in that the IPL could be stalled.
“I thought I would make some decent money selling Kohli shirts because he is the most popular. But now it won’t happen. I am not even sure when the tournament restarts, RCB will come and play here,” Pavan lamented.
Interestingly, Lucknow is not new to last-minute cancellation of cricket matches. In March 2020, the India versus South Africa ODI was called off owing to the onset of Covid-19.
Manoj from Prayagraj claimed that this year’s IPL could have been saved if the Punjab – Delhi match on Thursday had been cancelled well in advance and all fixtures moved to interior locations in India.
“It is not like Kohli comes to Lucknow everyday. Ever since LSG was formed, we cricket fans here have been very happy that we can watch famous players. Sadly, we can neither watch them live now nor on the TV,” he regretted.
Published – May 09, 2025 08:33 pm IST