RCB vs MI, IPL 2023: Fans wait 12 hours without food and water to buy Bangalore vs Mumbai match tickets

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IPL 2023: The sixteenth edition of the India Premier League (IPL) kicked off on Friday with a jam packed crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. A glittery opening ceremony featuring Tammanah Bhatia, Rashmika Mandanna and Arijit Singh enthralled the fans before the cricketing action started.

MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) led by Hardik Pandya made the IPL 2023 opening ceremony a wholesome affair at the end of the day. The focus from Dhoni has now shifted to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma now.

As Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) gear up to take on five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) led by Rohit Sharma, some of the fans lined up in front of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for hours to get their hands on the match tickets.

Notably, the stadium will be hosting an IPL match for the first time after 1430 days. The traditional home and away format of the IPL was discarded after the IPL 2019 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The home and away format has resumed this season and generated immense excitement among fans.

"We have waited for 12-13 hours just to get one ticket," one of the fans can be heard saying in a video posted by RCB's official Twitter handle.

"I came at 12 in the night, it's 12:27 PM right now. Everyone standing here did not have food or water. This (ticket) is the breakfast, brunch or whatever you call it" said the first fan who got the ticket from the counter.

The RCB enjoys a loyal fanbase despite the franchise not winning the coveted trophy even in the 15-year-old IPL history. The Faf du Plessis-led side qualified for the play-offs in the IPL 2022 edition but lost to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.