Former IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made light of the poor turnout of fans at the Chinnaswamy stadium here late Monday, with awesome batting display against Dolphins of South Africa in the Group A league tie of the Champions League T20 (CLT20).
Though CSK came into the game after losing to IPL title holder Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by three wickets Sep 17 in Hyderabad, its opener Brendon McCullum and south paw Suresh Raina went on a blitzkrieg despite losing other opener Dwayne Smith in the first over and hit the hapless Dolphins bowlers at will all over the ground.
Making best of the opportunity to bat first on a cool night under floodlights, McCullum and Raina treated about 12,000 frenzied fans, packed in the eastern stands with a flurry of sixes and fours to rake up 99 runs in just seven overs.
"It's exciting to watch a T20 match as we get to see some raw batting power at display. Its sheer fun to see how a few batters like these two (McCullum and Raina) play the shorter version of the game," said N.Ravi Kumar, an ardent fan of CSK and its skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who, however, got out for a duck.
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When sixes and fours rained on a cloudy night
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As rains gods kept away on a cloudy night from the city centre, McCullum, Raina and later Ravindra Jadeja of CSK rained as many as 16 sixes and hit the cherry 17 times over the ropes to post 242 for six wickets in 20 overs.
Though a 40,000-seat stadium was filled up one-third, mostly in the eastern stand, while stands in western, northern and southern sides had more empty chairs than fans, Chennai batters recreated the excitement of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with Raina hitting eight mighty sixes and four 4s in his breezy knock of 90 in 43 balls after McCullum lofted three sixes and five solid fours to score 49 in 29 balls.
Jadeja hit three more sixes and three fours to compound the misery of Dolphins bowlers.
"T20 has become a batsman's dream and a bowler's nightmare in a fierce contest where form matters more than technique. Unlike in Test cricket, the shorter version of the game is played smartly with reflexes and flair than strategy and planning," Ayub Khan, an avid follower of the game told IANS in the sparse pavilion.
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Hawkers, vendors make quick buck while cops take it easy
With the return of T20 game in this tech hub, scores of hawkers and small-time vendors made a beeline to the stadium for making a quick buck while about 700 policemen had an easy time, as the tournament without local lads or the host team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) failed to attract fans in droves.
Even as a few hundreds of fans trickled into the stands leisurely despite tight security, hawkers had a hard time selling t-shirts, caps, souvenirs and snacks, as there were not many takers for their goods unlike during summer when IPL matches are held.
Having witnessed twin bomb blasts, though of low intensity, around the stadium during an IPL match in April 2010, the city police, however, maintained a tight vigil, with armed guards, 86 closed circuit television cameras, three layers of frisking, dog squad, a bomb detection and disposal squad posted in and around the venue.