In the period between October and April every year, he comes down to Goa and then visits stadiums around India to watch Ranji Trophy matches.
On Tuesday, Ian was in the makeshift stand, behind the sight screen at the non-pavilion end, watching the first day of the Ranji Trophy final between Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir at the KSCA Stadium in Raj Nagar, Hubballi.
“I arrived by train from Goa today morning at 4 a.m. I waited in the Hubbali Railway Station till daybreak before coming down to the stadium,” he told Sportstar.
He was sitting with spectators in one of the four makeshift stands, meant for those who paid Rs. 100. He held a pair of binoculars to watch the Jammu & Kashmir batters face the Karnataka bowlers.
Sitting alongside Ian was software engineer Bharath Gowda from Bengaluru, who is also a keen Ranji Trophy follower. Seated next to him were cricket buffs Rahul Nayak and Venkat Kalyan, second-year MSc. (Agriculture) students from Dharwad.
A good number of students undergoing cricket coaching in Hubballi and other parts of the State, and several cricket enthusiasts, watched the match on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
RAGHAVA M
Several cricket enthusiasts from the State were also in attendance for the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final in Hubballi.
| Photo Credit:
RAGHAVA M
Class 8 student Vinayak and Class 7 student Shrinivas came with their father, Prakash Reddy, all the way from Koppal, which is 120 kilometres away from Hubballi. Class 8 student Diya from DK Public school, who was finding it hard to see the players from the makeshift stand, switched on her mobile phone to follow the match.
Some of the students undergoing cricket coaching volunteered as ball boys.
Jammu & Kashmir cricketer Yudhvir Singh Charak was seen obliging spectators by signing autographs on T-shirts and small bats before the start of the game.
There were separate entries for fans who purchased tickets priced at Rs. 200 and Rs. 100 each, from Gate No. 3 and Gate No. 4, respectively. The tickets were being issued in front of the two gates.
Published on Feb 24, 2026
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