Southern Super Stars defeated the Konark Suryas Odisha in a thriller with just one ball left in the Super Over to lift the 2024 Legends League Cricket title on Wednesday as 27,000 fans packed into Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar cheered them on.
A sporting event of this scale was held in Kashmir after nearly four decades, and it did not disappoint fans, old and young, who thronged the stadium to see their favourite cricketers play.
At one time an on-screen assessment showed 27,331 spectators inside the stadium, with hundreds more left outside as the venue reached full capacity.
Irshad, a local fan, said, “Even after waiting for hours I wasn’t able to enter the stadium, which was jam-packed.”
Adil Rashid from Srinagar, who managed to get a seat , said, “The atmosphere was electrifying and everyone was enjoying the game.”
While the match was unfolding inside the stadium, the security staff was struggling to contain the massive crowd outside the gates waiting to enter the stadium.
A few fans vented their anger, telling reporters, “Even though we had valid tickets, we weren’t allowed to go inside the stadium.”
“We were excited about seeing cricketing legends play after so many years, but many of us were turned away,” said another local fan.
Despite efforts to manage the situation, many ticket holders were still unable to watch the match.
An interesting moment during the final happened when a local young fan invaded the pitch to see fan favourite New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden.
Although he was escorted off the field by the security staff that one moment when Bowden embraced the young fan was easily one of the highlights of the game .
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