Cricket is one sport that has a huge fan following in India, as people just go crazy, and packed stadiums is the proof of their attraction toward this sport. The Indian cricket team is the most loved if you go by fans count in the current times, and the fans count is not only at the cricket stadiums in India but outside as well. You all have seen the surge of the Indian Cricket team’s fans wherever they play cricket in the world.
For instance, if you remember the 2024 T20 Men’s World Cup, which was held in the US and the West Indies, the Indian team was the winner. There, you saw fans flooding the stadiums in every Indian team’s match. During that tournament, there were more spectators in all the Indian team’s matches than in the cricket matches of other teams. Indians love seeing their favorite cricketers playing, no matter where in the world they take the field. We will now talk about the Indian Premier League and its craze among Indian cricket fans.
Indian Premier League – The International Indian T20 League
You all may have heard about the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is India’s own T20 cricket league. Just in case, you don’t know, there is no need to worry as we are here to answer it for you. It is a T20 cricket league where you will see cricketers from all around the world participating, and those include all your favorite foreign cricketers. It is one of the first T20 leagues where you will see players from different international cricket teams playing on one team.
When we talk about the participating cricket teams in the Indian Premier League, the tournament consists of 10 city-based teams. By city-based, we mean that the teams have a home stadium where they play half of their league matches, and half of the matches will be away matches to be held in other cities. For example, if we talk about the Mumbai Indians, one of the IPL teams, which has the Mumbai cricket stadium, i.e., Wankhede Stadium, as their home stadium.
Just like the Indian teams’ fans, IPL teams, too, have their fans. There is a competition going on among IPL teams’ fans, similar to what’s going on between the two competing teams. You can see all teams’ fans cheering for their supporting teams whenever the players take the field. In the stadiums, you see fans holding placards with messages for their favorite teams as well as their favorite players.
Unique Ways Chosen By Cricket Fans to Support Their Favorite Team or Player
When we talk about the ways people choose to express their love toward their favorite team or player, it includes displaying placards with special messages, and some wear t-shirts with the name of their favorite player printed on them. There are cricket fans who got their favorite team’s flag painted on their body parts, such as on their foreheads, cheeks, arms, and chest. If you think cricket fans choose unique ways to show their love, it is not true, as cricket gambling sites, too, choose unique ways. In their case, they do it to grab the attention of people interested in putting their money on cricket betting.
You all have heard about Dream11, a fantasy sports platform where people can earn money from their cricket knowledge. They have a mobile app that people can use to earn money by creating virtual teams and competing against other users. Dream11’s tagline is Dream Big, Dream11, which grabs the attention of the masses and helps them get users to wager money on their platform.
Whenever a team is chasing a big total, you will see their fans with placards with motivational lines like:
- We are Chennai Super Kings, Hear Us Roar
- Give it Your All, Kolkata Knight Riders
- From the Stands to the Field, We are One!
- This Season, The Trophy is Ours
- Storming the Field, Claiming the Glory
The above are some of the motivational lines that you may have seen people holding a placard with these lines written on it. The fans not just support their team in their wins as they are with the team even when their favorite team ends on the losing side. Some of the famous shayaris used by fans include:
“Haar Bhi Manzoor Hai, Bas Jeet Ki Aas Na Toote, Phir Se Naya IPL, Phir Se Ummeedon Ka Suraj Nikle”. It is in Hindi, which means Defeat is also acceptable, as long as the Hope of Victory doesn’t break, another IPL, and another Sunrise of Hope.
“Khel Khatam, Jazbaat Zinda, Aansuon Mein Dabi Jeet Ki Dua”. It is also in Hindi, meaning Game Over, Emotions Alive, A Prayer for Victory Suppressed in Tears.
These are some of the Shayaris being displayed on Placards by IPL fans after their team ends up on the losing side.
Conclusion: In India, the sport of cricket is quite popular, and we have talked about the Indian Premier League, whose name is just Indian, but it is an international T20 league. Moreover, we have talked about unique ways chosen by cricket fans to support their favorite player and team. We have listed some of the motivational lines and sad shayaris that fans display on placards to show their support. We hope you liked reading the post. Share your thoughts in the comments.