For any sport to survive and thrive in this world, the fans have to invest their time and money into it. Cricket is no different in this regard, since its immense popularity all across the globe is directly correlated to the populace consuming it day after day, year after year, without fail.

The gentleman’s game has the majority of its fans from Asia, especially the southern part of the continent. India has the biggest fanbase in cricket among all the countries, which is more than one billion people.

Owing to such a massive craze for the sport in the country, India has produced certain fans who have gone above and beyond for the national as well as their franchise teams. With that, SportsTiger looks at the five Indian superfans who became household names in the country.

1. Deepika Ghose

Deepika Ghose, widely known as the RCB Girl, went viral on social media, when she appeared live on television during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, a few years ago. She had reportedly a few thousand followers on her Instagram once, but after getting recorded on camera inside the stadium, her social media had more than 3,00,000 followers within a couple of days. Shortly afterward, Deepika Ghose talked about feeling mental trauma from the entire ordeal, but regards, she has stayed a fan of the RCB.

#PAGE_BREAK#

2. Saravanan Hari

Hailing from the city of Chennai, Saravanan Hari is known for his insane fandom for MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings and Team India, for a long time. He shows up to cricket matches in the stadium, painted in yellow, with “Dhoni 7” written on his chest, which takes him around six hours to do. With Chennai Super Kings being his favourite team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Saravan Hari has been to many venues to watch the captain MS Dhoni and the entire team play and win matches and tournaments.

#PAGE_BREAK#

3. Purnima Dalal

Purnima Dalal became an instant hit on social media, when she was seen praying for Mumbai Indians live on television, during the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 against the Rising Pune Supergiant at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Her prayers were answered when MI managed to defeat RPS by one run to win their third IPL trophy in four years. Later, it was revealed that Purnima Dalal is the mother of Nita Ambani, the owner of the Mumbai Indians.

#PAGE_BREAK#

4. Ram Babu

Since 2008, Ram Babu from Mohali has been a massive fan of the Indian cricket team and its former captain MS Dhoni. In his initial years, he reportedly used to paint his face in tricolour, but then, the upper body paint became a norm for him since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. With “Dhoni 7” written on his chest and the Indian flag in his hand, Ram Babu is known for cheering and shouting the slogan “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” from the stands, whenever an Indian player hits a boundary.

#PAGE_BREAK#

5. Sudhir Kumar Gautam

Sudhir Kumar Gautam is arguably the biggest superfan the Indian cricket has ever seen in its illustrious history. He is known to be an ardent fan of Sachin Tendulkar, who is heralded as the “God of Cricket,” painting his upper body with the tricolour, with “Tendulkar 10” written on his chest and the Indian flag in his hand. In 2011, when Sachin Tendulkar and Team India won the ICC Cricket World Cup, Sudhir Kumar Gautam was seen lifting the coveted trophy, while the Master Blaster cheering him on from the side.