Amid Rishabh, Rahul no-show, fans cheer much-awaited match

Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants fans were back in the stands at Ekana Stadium, cheering for the opening IPL match of both teams, on a balmy Wednesday evening. Bhojpuri beats played at every boundary hit lifted the mood. LSG posters splashed all over, though supporters sported jerseys of both teams. A group of friends had arrived from Bareilly, their faces painted with the LSG logo. Another group had travelled from Bihar to support LSG. Vansh said, "Rishabh is my favourite. Last season was not favourable, but this year results should be better." His friend Zeeshan was backing DC and K L Rahul."A hush fell when LSG skipper Rishabh Pant returned to the dugout early in the innings, but on their turn when LSG pacer Shami rattled DC by cleaning up K L Rahul in first ball, the stadium erupted with chants of ‘Shami! Shami! Shami!'"Spectator Akash said, "It's a much awaited game and I have come to see my favorites, Kuldeep Yadav and K L Rahul."Of four friends from Bahraich, Asif and Jameel, were supporting DC, while Rizvi and Faisal, were cheering for LSG. Rizvi said, "We are from UP, so we should rightly support our capital city's team."