Guwahati: Huge bill boards reading Halla Bol, the official anthem of home franchise Rajasthan Royals adorn the entrance of the city’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium, that gears up to host its first ever Indian Premier League (IPL) contest on April 5 between the hosts and the Punjab Kings.
Alongside the entrance, larger than life images of the Royals’ players hanging on the fences of the practice pitches give a feel that the stadium has fully been converted into a den of the Royals. To add to the feel, all the images and bill boards are primarily in pink, the official colour of the home team’s jersey.
The two IPL matches in the city, with the second game between the Royals and the Delhi Capitals on April 8, in a way heralds the premature arrival of the Rongali Bihu – Assam’s biggest cultural festival.
Ringing in the spirits of Bohag Bihu, some of the posters depicting the Royals’ official song, also includes the indigenous musical instruments Dhol and Pepa (made with the horn of a buffalo). Besides all the makeovers, the fear of a wash out looms over the matches due to pre-monsoon showers over the past week or so.
As far as the teams are concerned for Wednesday’s game, both sides arrived in the city on the back of comprehensive victories in their season openers and will be looking to get an early momentum in the cash-rich league. While last year’s runners-up Rajasthan Royals outclassed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 72 runs, Punjab Kings got the better of Kolkata Knight Riders in the rain-affected clash in Mohali by 7 runs via DLS system.
However, with the pre-monsoon showers in the city for the past 10 days, there are chances of rain interruptions during the matches. On Tuesday, when the Rajasthan Royals were undergoing their nets session, the groundsmen rushed to cover the main wicket and the square area after a light drizzle in the evening.
Local lad Riyan Parag, representing the Royals’ said the team is in a happy mood, especially after winning their opening game in style, and will approach every match with the same kind of intensity without taking too much pressure.
“We had a 10-day conditioning camp in Guwahati in March, so we are more or less familiar with the conditions here in Guwahati, hopefully that will keep us in good stead for tomorrow’s game,” he said.
Punjab Kings spin bowling coach and former India spinner Sunil Joshi expects his team to maintain consistency as he feels that the conditions will be the same for both the teams, and as professionals the players must have the ability to perform in all conditions.
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“I don’t see an advantage for the Rajasthan Royals (playing in Guwahati). The conditions are the same for everyone, T20 cricket is about being in the right frame of mind. Players shouldn’t complain about weather, as professionals they are expected to play in all conditions,” Joshi said while answering a query from EastMojo.
From the Assam Cricket Association’s (ACA) perspective, all eyes from across the globe will be on stadium, that has been shortlisted as one of the potential venues for the league stage games of the upcoming 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup in October-November this year.
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