MI, CSK and RCB fans set their sights on September 19 as the best of IPL action returns

After Season 14 of the IPL 2021 was rescheduled by the BCCI in May, the scene looked bleak for the tournament to return anytime soon. However, in July, it was announced that the remainder of the season would be concluded in the UAE in September. Days ahead of the second leg of the IPL 2021, the excitement is building up as fans are anticipating a blockbuster finish to the tournament.

Warhorses Chennai Super Kings square off with defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opener on September 19 in Dubai while Royal Challengers Bangalore will meet Kolkata Knight Riders at Abu Dhabi in the next match. To begin their campaign, Virat Kohli & Co will don a blue jersey to pay tribute to the frontline workers for their selfless contribution towards the society during Covid-19 pandemic. In an interaction with fans of MI, CSK and RCB, they give their views on the upcoming matches and the tournament.

Shakti Singh, a physically challenged cricketer from West Bengal, works in a service industry and is the vice-captain of his team, Rajasthan Rajwada. He is a die-hard Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians fan, who thoroughly loves the game. He has also created a dedicated WhatsApp group for the IPL and conduct regular watch-alongs of the games with each other.

“I consider Rohit Sharma my ‘Guru’, I really like the way he captains the Mumbai Indians side, his temperament and mentality is something I admire and would like to add to my personality too as the vice-captain of my team. The Mumbai Indians do have some tough games ahead for the remainder of the season, but I am fully confident that if anyone can do it, it is the Mumbai Indians led by Rohit,” Shakti said.

Harnam Kaur, a 28-year-old CSK and an MS Dhoni super fan from Himachal Pradesh, has been mesmerized by MSD’s consistent performances and his intriguing and engaging attitude towards the game. She plays cricket regularly with her friends in the neighbourhood and has immense love for the sport.

“Ever since I was a child, I have been drawn and fascinated by Mahi and his personality. I remember that I took the time to watch all his games, I would even watch all of his post-match interviews, that's how much I admire him. I enjoy playing cricket with a few of my friends regularly because of how much we love it.  The news of the return of IPL in September made me really happy, I am fully confident that we can beat Mumbai in the opening match and win the trophy this time.”

Sai Krishna, co-founder of Namma Team RCB, official fan club of Royal Challengers Bangalore, is confident that the Bold Brigade will continue with the momentum and capitalize on the No. 3 position that the team currently finds itself in. 

“IPL time is always the best time of the year for all of us at the fan club. We will be organizing numerous virtual screenings and watch-alongs since that brings the whole club together. We’re going to strive hard to ensure that RCB chants are the loudest on social media. We will do our best to back Virat and the team. This time, our team is donning blue in the opening match against KKR since we want to pay tribute to the thousands of Covid frontline workers. We extend our support to the team and are confident that this year may be that lucky year for us.”

All eyes will be on the ‘El Clasico’ of the IPL 2021 season resumption as Mumbai Indians, the most successful team in IPL history, aim to begin the tournament on a winning note, but it remains to be seen if the Yellow Army can triumph in Dubai. Both teams have faced each other in 32 previous matchups. Mumbai have won 19, while Chennai 13. However, on the day, the stats aside, players will need to be high confidence and will need to be positive going into the fixture.

Catch all the action from the second half of the VIVO IPL 2021 LIVE & Exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar VIP