Magic, under the lights of Chinnaswamy on May 18th 2024

As a RCB supporter since 2008, I’ve had my share of ups and downs with the team. The 2024 season has been lackluster overall, to say the least. With the bookies giving us a 1% chance after the halfway mark, and being bottom of the table for most of it, nobody gave us a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Even with the momentum of 5 consecutive wins in May, the most optimistic fan knew it was an uphill task against Dhoni’s CSK at Chinnaswamy. As much as I dislike them, they’ve mostly gotten the better of us, especially in Chinnaswamy. It seemed Dhoni would walk away with a famous win into the playoffs again, being the defending champions with all that confidence.

That’s when magic happened under those very lights, with a bit of rain swinging the odds in RCB’s way in the dying moments. Let me break down that magic and the standout moments:

Lockie Ferguson clinched the scalps of Rahane and the Shivam Dube. Faf’s blinder of a catch to dismiss Santner. With CSK needing 17 off the final over to qualify, Dayal started with a full-toss that Dhoni dispatched for a 110m six, leaving us fans on the edge. Yash got hit for a six off the first ball of the last over, but that brought two new balls into play which gripped better. With Jadeja on strike needing 10 off 2, he bowled two dream deliveries angling away that Jaddu could only air at. We had stormed into the playoffs from practically nowhere.

For a team that was being written off throughout April, this was unbelievable stuff. There’s something special about the RCB fans, this stadium and when the players combine the right way. We literally breathe and speak about RCB throughout the year. The ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde’ chants that had died down just weeks ago, rang out louder than ever under the lights of the Chinnaswamy again. Things feel normal again.