Pune Is Gearing Up For IPL 2020

Pune, 2 September 2020: As the pandemic struck India in March, the country went into a prolonged lockdown to mitigate the spread of the disease. People were confined to their homes, and work came to a virtual standstill. It was a new experience for everyone, as they suddenly had entire days of doing almost nothing. People explored new found hobbies. But as the initial euphoria gradually waned into boredom, people became extremely anxious to get back to their normal routine.

More so in metro cities like Pune and Bangalore, which has a high number of young individuals under the age of 35. They are used to deadlines, overtime, and living a fast life, to whizz past the days.

As the world limps back to normalcy, and countries start allowing sporting events to take place behind closed doors, in empty stadiums, the sports enthusiasts are now looking forward to catching up on their favorite games like cricket and football. With this year’s edition of IPL just around the corner, cricket-crazy individuals and betting enthusiasts are already searching online sites for cricket match predictions.

Pune has a cosmopolitan crowd with individuals around the country flocking the mega IT parks for jobs. When the franchises were initially announced in 2008, Punekars felt left out as they did not have a home team, whereas all other major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore were provided with one.

There was, however, a glimmer of hope in 2010, as the cricket board looked to expand the league with two new teams, one of them being Pune. They played their first season in 2011, with star players like Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh. The stadium was chock-a-block with Punekars rooting wildly for the home teams.

Sadly, in 2013, due to the financial disputes between the franchise and the cricket board, the team was dissolved, playing just 3 seasons. Pune got a second chance in 2015 when the teams of Rajasthan and Chennai were suspended due to the illegal betting scandal.

With a different owner, and under the captainship of Steve Smith, they reached the finals against Mumbai Indians in 2017. Unluckily, they lost by just one run, and the dream of lifting their maiden trophy came crashing down.

Although there have been no regular teams with Pune, the MCA stadium has played a host to many regular franchises, like Kings XI Punjab, and more recently being Chennai Superkings.

The audiences have been sporty enough to support the teams playing in Pune as their base. And with Chennai playing their home games in Pune under M S Dhoni, the games have been attended by packed crowds to watch their favorite player in action.

With Dhoni at CSK, that is now the adopted franchise for most of the city while the other half supports its Maharashtrian cousin, the Mumbai Indians!

Pune has cricket lovers from around the country, there are bound to be some healthy rivalries in workplaces and among friends from different cities/ states, with each supporting their home team.

With the rise in the number of online betting sites, those looking to make a quick buck, or just looking for the rush of fast-paced dynamic betting, cricket enthusiasts in Pune are eagerly awaiting the start of the new season, which will provide them with much-needed entertainment in these desperate times.