Chennai coach Fleming believes his team's rivalry with Bangalore evokes a lot of emotions and tonight's south derby at Bangalore will be no different
Chennai players celebrate a Hyderabad wicket during a recent T20 2018 encounter. Pic/AFP
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Is this the most anticipated clash of the T20 2018? Well, at least down South it is. Tickets for the big game between Bangalore and the returning Chennai were all but sold out days after going on sale online.
And when a few thousand Gallery tickets were set to go on sale at the Box Office last Sunday, fans from both franchises queued up overnight. Needless to say, they were all gone before you could say 'helicopter shot'. So what is it about this game that excites everyone? Is it the presence of Virat Kohli in one camp and MS Dhoni in the other? Is it the prospect of seeing AB de Villiers take on Dwayne Bravo or is it simply the fact that the south derby is back after a two-year gap?
Bangalore captain Virat Kohli
Well, we asked both Stephen Fleming, the Chennai coach, and De Villiers, Bangalore's batting mainstay along with Kohli, what they thought and here's what they had to offer: "It is a special match, given the proximity of the two cities," said Fleming who has played in and witnessed many such clashes between the two.
"There is a lot of interest, a lot of emotion and we have always enjoyed the encounters and have seen some great ones over the years. I don't think tomorrow will be any different," he added. De Villiers for his part refused to play up the game too much. "It's not different and this game is a fresh game for us. We have won two games out of five and we are still in a spot of bother. That's why I've been saying it's a really big game for us as we really need to win."
Chennai coach Stephen Fleming
Given the rush for tickets from both sides of the border, there is bound to be a lot of Chennai presence off the field too and De Villiers was alive to that. "I feel every game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has an electric vibe to it. I know Chennai have fans all over the country, and I believe they have a fair amount of support here in Bangalore. But it will definitely be a home game for us.
"It's matter of playing well tomorrow [Wednesday] and I feel the crowd will lift us a lot," he said. They will but can his side lift their game too?
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