Royal fans roar for Bengaluru
Two months ago, when the 18th season of the IPL began, little did anyone expect these two teams to come to the final and play in front of a packed stadium in Ahmedabad. The final was scheduled for Kolkata and there were a few teams considered favourites. Even the road to this point was not a straightforward one. At one point, it did not even feel like the IPL would happen in this window when the league was suspended due to the India-Pakistan conflict.
When the league was suspended for eight days, there was uncertainty over the return of foreign players — and some of them did not because of other commitments. Even when it resumed, there were question mark over the scheduling. The rule changes made midway to avoid complete washouts — some teams even wrote to the BCCI about it — and uncertainty over which venue would host the playoffs.
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