The IPL caravan returns to the city as Royal Challengers Bangalore prepare to play their first home game of the season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Injuries to Virat Kohli and A.B. de Villiers — whose participation is still in doubt — have failed to dampen interest. Demand for tickets has been high, although some were still available online as of Friday night.
“Close to 70% of the tickets have been sold,” said one official from Ticketgenie, the firm in charge of ticketing operations. "The tickets in the lower price bands are sold out. Some in the middle and higher price categories are still available. We're expecting more sales before start of the match. We expect the stadium to be almost full."
The gates will be opened at 4.30 p.m. with an opening ceremony — this time, the organisers have insisted on conducting separate events in all eight venues — featuring Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon.
RCB's last encounter here was the final of the 2016 edition, a game it lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight runs. After three defeats in three finals, supporters will hope for better luck this season.
