As Bengaluru gears up for the IPL final today, the city’s long-suffering but fiercely loyal Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans are leaving nothing to chance. From lucky jerseys and fixed seating arrangements to silent households during batting overs, supporters across the city have their own match-day rituals that they believe can influence the team’s fortunes. For many, these traditions have become just as important as the game itself.Same table, same seats, same peopleArt curator Sushma Rao says her RCB viewing routine has remained unchanged since the first game of the season. “We watch every match at the same place, on the exact same table. The same four people sit in the same chairs every single game. Nobody else is invited. And when RCB are batting, nobody is allowed to move. Washroom breaks happen only during the timeout,” she says.Silence during batting oversAt home, theatre artiste Shrinidhi MS has enforced an unusual rule involving his sister.“During RCB’s batting innings, I don’t let my sister speak at all. Every time she says something, we seem to lose a wicket. So now the entire family follows the rule,” he insists. The lucky jersey traditionEngineering student Sitanshu Anand believes support begins with the jersey. “I wear my RCB jersey on every match day without fail. And every season, I make it a point to buy the latest one. It feels like an important part of supporting the team,” he says. For long-time fan Pavan Krishnamurthy, match-day rituals are non-negotiable. Ahead of the final, Pavan plans to stick to his trusted routine — wearing the same lucky jersey, following the same pre-match schedule and watching the game with his regular group of fans. “I have my own superstitions, from the jersey I wear to the time I take a shower before the match,” he says.Watching less, believing moreFor marketing professional Kajal Thakur, supporting RCB sometimes means not watching them at all. “I noticed that whenever I watched a match from start to finish, RCB would lose. Two of those games even saw Virat Kohli get ducks,” she says. Convinced she was bringing bad luck, Kajal skipped the next match — only to see RCB win and Kohli score a century.Travel vlogger Soumya K has taken her superstition a step further by avoiding crucial matches altogether. “I genuinely feel RCB lose whenever I watch an important game. Regular matches are okay, but for big games like the Qualifiers, I stay away from the screen completely. Somehow, I feel my viewership brings bad luck,” she says. (Inputs by V Nichita)
