Spectators are seen at the ‘Gautam Gambhir Stand’ on the first day of a Ranji trophy cricket match between Delhi and Railways, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi, Thursday, January 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
There was a brief rush and jostling outside the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday (January 30, 2025) morning as fans, who had gathered to see Indian superstar Virat Kohli play his first Ranji Trophy game since 2012, tried to make their way inside.
No one was injured in the incident, police said.
Initially, only one gate was open for entry and people started pushing each other to get inside the stadium, a Delhi Police statement said.
“Additional gates were soon opened, easing the situation. No injuries were reported, and the situation is now under control,” it said.
The ‘King Kohli’ effect
The unmatched aura of Virat Kohli was on full display in and around the Arun Jaitley Stadium here during the Ranji Trophy fixture between Delhi and Railways as thousands of fans queued up to watch the superstar in an unprecedented rush that forced administrators to make additional last-minute arrangements.
The DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association) had projected a crowd of around 10,000 for Kohli’s homecoming, which is unheard for a Ranji Trophy game. But such was his magnetic pull that even those lofty calculations went for a toss.
Long before the start of play at 9.30am local time, the 36-year-old Kohli’s loyal band of supporters were jostling to enter the stadium where entry is free for domestic matches.
Thousands of fans queued up to watch Kohli, who is playing for Delhi against Railways, in his first domestic red-ball appearance in 13 years.
The ‘Gautam Gambhir Stand’ was already packed to the rafters and it hardly took time to fill the lower tier of the ‘Bishan Bedi Stand’, taking the crowd count well past 12,000 at toss.
The deafening roars of “Kohli, Kohli” could be heard from a distance as the former India captain took the field with the rest of the Delhi teammates.
Published – January 30, 2025 01:29 pm IST
