On the eve an hour before the game, several incendiary devices went off in the heart of Bengaluru
Since its inauguration in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has evolved into the crown jewel of Indian domestic cricket. However, given India's geopolitical position and stance, be it at the international level or domestic, the IPL has constantly been threatened by certain hostile groups.
In 2010, merely hours before the 52nd game of the season between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challenger Bengaluru, several incendiary devices went off near the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, the home ground of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Bangalore).
The 2010 IPL table stage was moving towards the end, but teams were still fighting for a place in the top four. Mumbai Indians were in sublime form, and Royal Challengers weren't doing poorly either.
The 52nd game at the Chinnaswamy was more important to Bengaluru because the Mumbai Indians had enough points to finish in the top four. However, merely an hour before the game, two incendiary devices went off near the stadium.
As per multiple old reports, at least 10 people sustained injuries in the blast, but fortunately, there was no casualty. Police teams quickly reacted to the incident, having found a third device that was quickly defused.
After an hour of delay, the Bengaluru police force gave the green signal for the match to proceed amidst the horror. Nonetheless, cricket being cricket in India -- the spirit remained intact as 40,000 people watched the game as if nothing had happened.
Later on, reports went public that the United States of America had warned that certain hostile groups were planning attacks on Indian soil, giving 2010 was an important year for sports in India. After all, India was the host of the Commonwealth Games.
While security was further tightened, BCCI and the IPL committee decided to move the semi-final matches to Mumbai from Bengaluru. Lalit Modi, the then commissioner of IPL, said, "This decision is naturally disappointing for the people of Bangalore but has been taken with the tournament's best interests, and the interests of its many varied stakeholders, in mind."
On the field batting first, Mumbai put on a ferocious show with the willow. Ambati Rayudu added 46 runs off 27 balls, whereas JP Duminy made 42 off 29 balls and helped Mumbai post a target of 191 runs.
In response, Royal Challengers fell short. Only Virat Kohli scored 37 runs off 24 balls, whereas none of the other batters could manage beyond 25 runs. In fact, nine batters went back to the pavilion without scoring even 20.
For Mumbai, Kieron Pollard picked three wickets, whereas Dilhara Fernando and Harbhajan Singh added two wickets each to dismantle the RCB line-up.
Bengaluru's night turned worse with the 57-run defeat. However, the incident proved that India stands firm no matter the situation at hand, and when it comes to cricket, the country puts its life on the line for the sport.
