RCB was the first team in the IPL to conduct this Unique and exclusive Stadium Tour for some of its elite fans. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to cover this event as a photo-blogger and had some of the most memorable moments in this tour…..read on!

Royal Challengers Bangalore conducted an exclusive Stadium Tour for
some elite fans on 6th March 2010. With the IPL-3 round the corner, RCB
became the first team to do such a stadium tour. I had never been
inside a stadium and hence I spent a sleepless night on 5th March,
eager, enthusiastic and anxious as to what the next day had for me.I am
one of the two photo-bloggers who covered the King Club Fans Stadium
tour of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and I tell you….it was a very rare
and one of the most finest opportunities in my life.

The Stadium
Hall was packed with 70 odd King Club members, and die-hard RCB fans,
their  all Reg and Gold attires shining in the bright yellow sun, young
and old fans alike. The Organizers quickly briefed the guests and took
then around the stadium, the famous dressing rooms, indoor stadium
(where photography is prohibited) and the National Cricket Academy.

Fans
were eager to take pictures of the numerous paintings of prominent
cricketers that were hung inside the stadium walls, the most prominent and famous one being the painting or Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar which seems to have collected maximum number of clicks from  the visiting fans. All the fans were also
delighted to see Sandeep Patil and Syed Kirmani and they obliged by
signing autographs and posing for the photos. It was then that the RCB
players, the likes of Akhil, S Sriram, Dillon Du Pree and our etherial
Coach Ray Jennings came. The fans were quick to flock them and click as
many pics as they could, before the organizers asked them to line up
for their auto graphs.

At the end of the event, I had the
opportunity to meet and talk to many fans and elite King Club members
who had come for the tour. All of them  told me that it was the first
time that they were experiencing something like this. They all agreed
that this unique experience for them was very special and meeting the
players and their Coach was one exciting moment for them and I could
not agree more…..

(My sincere ‘thank you’ to @santoshp and @dhempe for the great pictures and this opportunity..)

(Fans eager to take a pic with the Famous Painting)

(Briefing before the fans went inside the indoor stadium)

(Sandeep Patil signing autographs)

(Syed Kirmani shares a lighter moment with young fans)

(Long Queue to meet the players)

(L->R : Sriram, Akhil, Dupree and Coach Jennings)

(And finally…happy faces at the end of it all say the story….)