IPL fever grips Kochi

KOCHI: Excitement is raining over Kochi. For the first time, an Indian Premier League (IPL) match is being played in the city on Saturday. In their debut match, Kerala's own IPL team Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, the home ground of the Tuskers, at 8 pm.
A drizzle in some parts of the city on Friday evening have raised concerns among the fans. However, officials said they have taken adequate measures to cover the main pitch and ground in case of heavy rain. The Met Department has predicted light showers on Saturday also.
The first-ever cricket match to be played under lights here, which comes soon after India's thrilling World Cup win, has seen curious fans rushing to the stadium from Friday.
Many of the RCB players arrived in the city on Friday. Both teams trained at the ground on the match eve under the lights. Rival skippers Mahela Jayawardene (KTK) and Daniel Vettori (RCB) will arrive only on Saturday. Experts from the IPL governing council have inspected the pitch and ground conditions at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and have expressed satisfaction over the conditions.
In view of the match, the city has been brought under tight security cover. A number of VVIPs are expected to be present at the venue to view the match. The stadium, with a seating capacity of 55,000,is expected to be completely occupied. Meanwhile, sources said the ticket sales were yet to pick up momentum. Though the sales began a couple of days back, most ticket counters haven't sold out their stock. It has been pointed out that the delay in opening enough ticket counters could be one reason for the cold reception from cricket lovers.