IPL 7 Final: Bollywood battle in summit clash

Bengaluru:  For a venue which usually bleeds red during the Indian Premier League, the M. Chinnaswamy stadium was on Sunday night soaked in different hues.

Notwithstanding the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s insipid show on their home turf, their loyal legion still came out in full force, for entertainment on and off the field which is synonymous with the Indian Premier League.

In the finale battle which was also primed as the battle of Bollywood, the rival owners, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla and Kings XI Punjab’s Preity Zinta displayed contrasting emotions.

The SRK camp wore a tranquil look for the better part of the match with Shah Rukh Khan staying rooted to his seat. With wife Gauri Khan taking care of their toddler son AbRam and older son Aryan Khan studying abroad, the superstar had daughter Suhana and her friends for company. Standing in a corner and praying for the better part of the first half was Juhi who was joined by husband Jay Mehta and children.

In sharp contrast, the vivacious Preity kept her team on the toes, screaming herself hoarse and her team gave her enough reasons with the boundaries and sixes flowing at regular intervals when they batted.

The regular band of bollywood stars were missing, but spotted among the spectators was former Indian football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia, who is a known KKR supporter.
 
Segway scooter makes its debut
Innovations and IPL go hand-in-hand. The latest technology introduction is the use of Segway scooters for filming the match, which was used for the first time on the turf during the final. The scooter, which is a two-wheeled, self balancing vehicle has been used in cricket in the past, but became famous in 2011 during the India-Australia match at Melbourne when commentator Ian Healy and Joe Previtera, a cameraman, embarrassingly fell while doing the balancing act on the scooter.