Ee Sala Cup Namde: What is the meaning behind Royal Challengers Bangalore’s viral chant?

Ee Sala Cup Namde- Every year when the Indian Premier League and more recently, the Women’s Premier League rolls out, this cheer or slogan can be heard around the internet as well as packed stadiums in the country whenever Royal Challengers Bangalore take to the field.

It’s the war cry that the RCB faithful have adapted in order to cheer their team in thick and thin. The chant ultimately bore fruit on Sunday when after a long wait, the women’s team of RCB managed to get their hands on the WPL trophy, something that their men’s counterparts haven’t been able to do in 16 tries.

What does Ee Sala Cup Namde mean?

The viral chant which is in the Kannada language can be loosely translated to “This year the cup will be ours.”

Before collecting the WPL trophy, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana changed it to ‘Ee sala cup namdu’ which roughly translates to ‘this year the cup is ours.’

What made Smriti Mandhana say it?

The RCB captain said in the press conference later, “I went to the management and said I want to say something to the fans but I really don’t know what to say because kannada is not my first language. They told me a statement with the RCB tagline and then they told me what happens (ee sala cup namde) and then I kind of made a statement of my own and I told Shreyanka to pray that my kannada doesn’t go bad.”

How RCB women’s team won the WPL crown for the first time?

When the powerplay of Delhi Capitals innings was done, the scoreboard read 61/0. It was a whirlwind. The competition’s best partnership – Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma – were off to a flier. Especially the Indian youngster, who was once again showing off her ball-striking ability, stable base with all the focus down the ground. The ball was flying off her bat. She had reached 42 off 21 balls, Lanning was doing her part, playing the second fiddle as she tends to.

Then came Sophie Molineux’s 8th over at the end of which 64/0 became 65/3. In the space of four balls – that aptly read out W-0-W-W – the Aussie left-arm spinner dismissed Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey. Three of DC’s most destructive batters, all gone in a hurry. It was the over that changed the direction of the match decisively.

Red & Gold, now with some extra gold 🥹#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #SheIsBold #WPL2024 pic.twitter.com/RESAap0mm6

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 18, 2024

Royal Challengers Bangalore spun their way to a win, ending a long wait for a fanbase that has made their voice heard loud and clear from south to north. DC could just manage 113 batting first, RCB took their time but eventually got there with three balls to spare, with Richa Ghosh hitting the winning runs, and fittingly, Ellyse Perry remaining unbeaten on 35.

What next for RCB’s men’s team?

The RCB men’s team, who have never won the IPL, begin their campaign against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Friday.

Defending champions CSK under their talismanic captain MS Dhoni will be looking to add one more title in their cabinet. While on the other hand, the perennial underachiever RCB under Faf du Plessis will be looking to start their campaign on a winning note.

Despite the general election, the dates for which were announced on Saturday, the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will be held in the country in its entirety.

“Complete IPL will happen in India only. BCCI is working on the full schedule and will make it public soon,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah told The Indian Express.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.