Ee sala cup namdhe, maga!

‘Hodi magaaaa, Aaar Cee Bee and ABDeee’ were the chants resounding in stadiums from RCB buffs over the years. But this season, one catch phrase seems to have bombarded social media and that’s ‘Ee Sala Cup Namdhe’. From troll pages, to RCB aficionados and the players themselves, every other social media user is posting the slogan. From indulging in fun banter with other teams’ supporters to organising meet-ups, namma bombaat fans are solidly soaking in the RCB spirit.

Student Shreekar Kuruvadi says, “The Aaarrceebee chants have taken a new form this year with ‘Ee Sala Cup Namdhe’ (ESCN). I’ve been an ardent follower of the team since many years and despite being saddened by the lack of an IPL title, I can’t stop myself from being a part of the fandom. I feel the atmosphere is magical every time I go to Chinnaswamy Stadium.” With Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal and ABD’s current form and the inclusion of Brendon McCullum and Washington Sundar, Shreekar adds, “There’s an extra dose of excitement this year on social media as fans have started making fan anthems, and there’s also a party happening on March 31 at a restobar just for RCB buffs.” 

ESCN is the motto that’s taken many forms on social media. With players like Yuzvendra Chahal using it on Instagram, the tagline is pretty much all over — from classrooms to memes. Interior designer Arfan Ummar, a hardcore RCB enthusiast whose Twitter bio reads ‘Team #EeSalaCupNamdhe’ says, “I started supporting my state franchise in 2011. A lot of RCBians are always nervous when the team plays. Other fans support other teams when their squad doesn’t fare well, but RCB buffs never give up. We live in the hope that there’s always a next time and our team will do it for their fans who go out in thousands to the stadium even after multiple defeats. We were emotionally attached to this team mainly because of the trio — Gayle-VK-AB. Over the years, we’ve not had a decent dependable bowling line-up, which I think is the cause of all the defeats,” he opines.

As for the ESCN mania, Arfan calls it self-trolling and quips, “When you troll yourself, you’re not giving your opponents a chance to troll you! Every year is a chance to put an end to the trolls. If EeSalaCupNamde doesn’t work, mundin sala cup namde (the cup is ours next year) will definitely work.”

When it comes to offline and online activities, RCB Fan Army (@rcbfanarmy on Twitter) is a fervent group that’s creating a buzz. Allen Abhishek, the man behind the army, says, “This time, 80 of us are planning to go to Chennai to watch the RCB-CSK game on May 5. We want to book tickets in one stand so that we all can be together and make our presence felt in the sea of yellow.” A bunch of these aficionados even met up in Cubbon Park a few weeks ago and were featured in a groovy video called ‘RCB maga’ by Hip Hop Kannadigaru. Twenty-three enthusiasts from this group even donated blood at Bowring Institute. “We’re also planning to have several fan meet-ups during the course of the IPL where we want supporters to come together and watch the game at a pub on the big screen — we want to give a stadium-like feel,” smiles Allen.