Rescheduling plans, sleeping at rly stations: How fans brave rain for IPL final

CHENNAI: From hastily rescheduling their plans at the eleventh hour to sleeping in public places such as railway stations, travelling fans have had to deal with numerous difficulties caused by the postponement of the Indian Premier League 2023 final.

The Season 16 summit clash between defending champion Gujarat Titans and four-time winner Chennai Super Kings, originally scheduled for Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, was postponed to today (reserve day) after incessant rain played spoilsport.

Assuming that the title decider would be CSK skipper MS Dhoni’s ‘last dance’ as a player in the IPL, many fans, from different corners of the country, have made the trip to Ahmedabad to catch their ‘Thala’ live in action.

Much to their disappointment, rain made life extremely difficult for them (the official announcement regarding postponement was made around 10:55 pm IST on Sunday). With the 1,32,000-seater arena having just one main entrance, the spectators were unable to quickly vacate their seats. What greeted them outside the stadium were flooded roads.

After they managed to safely overcome the hurdle by walking at a snail’s pace, the travelling fans had to scratch their heads for an alternative accommodation plan. Most of them also had to cancel their return travel tickets that they had already booked. “Many fans had checked out from their hotel rooms before they left for the match,” said Vignesh Kumar, a techie based in Bengaluru who has made the journey to watch the final.

While some were successful in booking rooms online, the others were left stranded. “Since many hotels allow us to check-in only in the afternoon, fans had to sleep at the reception the entire night,” added Vignesh, who was a bit lucky compared to most others.

“I just moved to another hotel now. The ticket prices for direct flights from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru were costly, so I decided to book from Mumbai. I had booked it only for Thursday. I was supposed to travel from Ahmedabad to Mumbai by bus on Monday. So, I had to cancel that,” explained Vignesh, also a Chennaiyin FC fanatic.

A section of fans who were unsuccessful in their pursuit decided to sleep in nearby railway stations. Some made the one-and-a-half-hour journey from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in the hope that they would return in time for the start of the match on Monday.

“The hotel which I am in is filled with Chennai pasanga (boys). We are comfortable and safe, but we have had to deal with monetary and logistical issues,” said Adhi Bala.

Despite what they are going through, the travelling fans’ spirits are high. “Potentially, Dhoni’s last game. They could have had a five or seven-over-a-side match on Sunday, but none of us wanted that. We all wanted a full match. That is why we are trying our best to overcome all these difficulties,” said Vignesh.