T20 World Cup Sees Strong Crowds for Non-India Matches, Sets Positive Trend

Despite the atmosphere being sedate in the morning, as more security and police officials were spotted outside the entry gates, the atmosphere inside the ground was lively, with fans treated to popular English and Hindi songs.

At the innings break, where the Netherlands reduced Namibia to 156/8, Queen's iconic song 'We Will Rock You' was blasting from the DJ system. Apart from local Delhi cricket fans, supporters from Namibia and Netherlands were also spotted in the stadium, with the broadcast cameras cutting to them whenever a boundary or wicket moment came in the first innings.

A Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) official told IANS that the crowd turnout number came as a pleasant surprise, saying that it exceeded their expectations. "This is very good, and it has gone way above our expectations, considering that this is a morning game between the associate nations on a weekday.

"It surely has set the tone for healthier crowd turnout in other non-India matches. We are also sure that it will be a full house when India clashes against Namibia on Thursday evening," further said the official.

Huge crowd interest has been seen before in other non-India games in the competition so far. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, 21,266 spectators were present when New Zealand defeated Afghanistan. Scotland's matches against West Indies and Italy at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata attracted a large number of fans to the stadium.

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium witnessed one of the more striking turnouts, with 16,739 fans attending England's clash against Nepal, which the two-time champions won by four runs. The crowd was dominated by Nepalese supporters, who created a vibrant atmosphere with flags, chants, and drums, turning the match into a celebration of their team's presence in the 20-team showpiece event.

- IANS