Growing up, watching matches at Brabourne or Wankhede was always part of the dream. I have now been at iconic venues like the MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval, Lord’s, and Ahmedabad over the past 18 months. I missed the T20 world cup semis at the Wankhede, due to a family event, so it definitely felt like an opportunity to plan.
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| Wankhede in all it's IPL glory |
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| Bumrah bowling to Sanju Samson |
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| Sachin's Statue - Zoomed from Sachin stand |
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| Finally at the Wankhede |
Anirudh having fun
Sanju's sublime Six
Sanju v Bumrah
Mexican Wave energy
In 2025, Anirudh made his live cricket-viewing debut at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, cheering for an RCB win over RR.
This year, given the near-impossible task of securing tickets in Chinnaswamy, I planned a few alternatives to catch a live game with him. Wankhede, Chepauk, and Hyderabad were all on the table. By a mix of good fortune and persistent clicking, I managed to secure tickets for the IPL’s El Clásico—MI vs CSK at Wankhede Stadium on 23 April.
I took the day off from work - We took the 10:30 AM flight, landing in Mumbai around 12:30 PM. From there, we headed to my uncle’s home to spend the afternoon with family. We were treated to some excellent Maharashtrian staples—vada pav, misal pav, and some delicious Alphonso mangoes as well. With the heat outside being relentless, those few hours indoors were definitely a blessing.
The Story of “Bagwati” — The Luggage Quandary
This was always going to be a tight trip. Barely 14 hours in Mumbai, with a red-eye return flight at 2 AM from Terminal 2.
I wanted to ensure we could freshen up before the flight back, so I explored a few options. The airport baggage storage at T2 seemed restrictive based on reviews, primarily meant for transit passengers. The cloakroom at CST station was a workable alternative, but not ideal with a 12 year old, especially post-match at midnight.
So I went with a third option - transparency. I was planning to carry a transparent bag with just a change of T-shirts, printed return tickets, and a couple of cloths to deal with the inevitable sweat. No chargers, no extras.
Sapna met this brief and got us this “modest” bag (link to Amazon). The “Bagwati”😁—drew attention everywhere, from Bangalore airport security to boarding. People assumed it was some premium Balenciaga-esque accessory.
At Wankhede, I was prepared to discard it if needed (losing a value of about 500) and just hold on to the t shirts and stuff everything else into pockets. But after a polite nudge, a quick explanation, and some understanding smiles from the security staff, we were allowed through. The transparency (both literal and metaphorical) worked in our favour.
The Stadium
Entry was smooth, through Gate 4, behind the practice grounds. and then Level 3. The structure is layered—Level 1 at ground, Level 2 for premium seating, and Level 3 split across two tiers, making for a climb of about four flights of stairs. Definitely not the easiest for elderly visitors.
Although our seats were not adjacent, we managed to sit together without much hassle, thankfully. A pleasant surprise—free Wi-Fi by Jio, a first for me at any Indian stadium.
The first view of the stadium was breathtaking. The steep, almost stepwell-like design of the stands gives you a commanding view, though the climb is quite something. Thankfully, there are enough railings for support.
The Sachin Stand, particularly around the long off/midwicket region, offers a fantastic perspective of the entire ground. Spotting the white ball is effortless from here.
The crowd filled in quickly. Surprisingly, it felt like a 60–40 split in favour of CSK. There was anticipation in the air, with many hoping it might be MS Dhoni’s last game at Wankhede. Sadly, neither he nor Rohit Sharma featured in the match.
The game itself turned out to be one-sided, with Sanju Samson’s beautiful century anchoring CSK to a strong total. They comfortably defended against a struggling Mumbai side falling to their biggest loss, losing by 103 runs!.
It was also once again a wonderful opportunity to watch Jasprit Bumrah in action. Fun fact—across all my live match experiences, inspite of the mixed results, Bumrah delivering a standout performance has been a constant.
The crowd brought its own theatre. Every “CSK” chant was countered with a “Mumbai Mumbai.” Yet, compared to other Indian venues, this felt slightly less partisan, more balanced and very “banter”y in its energy. A tighter game would would have kept the crowd energy on for longer.
Post 10 PM, due to local regulations, the DJ stopped. And that is when the stadium truly came alive. Pure crowd energy. Multiple rounds of Mexican waves, chants for Sachin, Rohit, and Dhoni. It was electric, even as Mumbai’s collapse unfolded. The structure of the stadium also contributes by holding the sound in, creating the pulsating energy in the stadium,
Rest rooms are quite decent, the hand wash sinks got flooded by half time. For what joy did they have the artificial grass carpets!!
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| Green carpet in the Men's! |
Food pricing was in line with major Indian venues—₹350 for pizza, ₹100 for samosas or vada pav. Plenty of options, but one barely feels like eating in the heat. We stuck to popcorn and cold beverages/water to survive the heat.
Water was tricky. Bottles are not allowed. While free water was available in 120 ml paper cups on the lower levels, carrying it back up without spillage was a challenge.
The humidity was sapping no doubt. Our emergency cloths turned out to be lifesavers. There was a bit of breeze early on, but as the evening progressed, surrounding buildings seemed to block airflow.
We exited when MI were eight wickets down and walked over a kilometre to Pizza By The Bay, where we waited for a buddy who kindly offered to drop us at the airport after the game.
He arrived just before midnight, with deodorant and a charging cable (on my request) - both absolute luxuries at that point.
The 40-minute drive to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport gave us time to cool down, change, and recharge (both phones and ourselves). We reached Terminal 2 around 12:45 AM.
A quick cake and coffee at Hatti Kaapi, and we boarded our 1:40 AM flight, landing in Bangalore at 3:45 AM. Anirudh slept well through the flight, which was a relief.
With a pre-booked Quikride (a necessity, given Uber realities at the airport), we were home by 4:30 AM. Enough time for a few hours of sleep before heading to work.
A 14-hour whirlwind trip to Mumbai. A match at Wankhede. And more importantly, the first proper “boys’ trip” with Anirudh. Hopefully we made a core memory.
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