‘I’m very happy that they’re back in the stands. Hopefully, we’ll get more and more of them as the tournament goes on,” Kohli said of RCB’s fans.
Bengaluru, March 27th, 2022: Royal Challengers Bangalore begin their IPL 2022 campaign on Sunday against Punjab Kings at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The 15th edition of the IPL will see the return of fans back to the stadium after a briefing hiatus owing to the pandemic.
“They believe in me; they’re looking forward to something from me. So, I’m very grateful to them, firstly. And secondly, I’m very happy (that) they’re back in the stands. Hopefully, we’ll get more and more of them as the tournament goes on.”
“For me, sport is all about the atmosphere, the tension, people watching, people competing. And I think it is a perfect synchronization. It’s a beautiful harmony when it happens. The fun is not there if the fans are not there. To me, sport is all about the fans,” he added.
The matches with be played across stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune with 25% fans attendance as per the Covid protocols set by the BCCI. Elucidating further on his connection with the RCB 12th Man Army, Virat cited an example while he was playing in the second Day-Night Test against Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Kohli continued to express his love towards fans, “In the Test match as well, I understood the power of our (RCB) fanbase. Throughout the two and a half days, I think for two days I only heard ‘RCB-RCB’ in the stadium and it was so loud. It was as loud as the 2016 season or the final. It was amazing. It gave me goosebumps. It made me a little emotional of all the memories that we’ve had.
“I was thinking about all the amazing moments and games that we’ve had. They were shouting AB (de Villiers’) name and they were shouting my name and RCB and whatnot. It was just unbelievable. I feel so grateful to have been a part of a franchise for so long. That’s what you play for, eventually. Yes, we all love playing for titles and all that. But you know, these moments of pure love and connection with the fans.”
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