Matches between Royal Challengers Bangalore Chennai Super Kings have always generating a big buzz, but this time around, the anticipation has reached a feverish pitch. A packed M. Chinnaswamy Stadium awaits both teams, with fans clamouring for every seat in the house.
A Ticketgenie official stated that around 25,000 tickets were handled by the company, and that all were sold out in quick time. Around 5,000 G1 and G2 Gallery stand tickets were sold out in a couple of hours at the box office on Sunday. Even the high denomination tickets — ₹35,000 and ₹20,000 — found eager takers well in advance.
The host association KSCA also faced big demand for its share of tickets and passes. “The demand has been most unprecedented. CSK matches have always seen high demand here, but this time it’s greater because the team is returning after two years. The second reason is that CSK’s home matches have been moved to Pune,” Vinay Mruthyunjaya, KSCA spokesperson, said,
“The KSCA does not handle the ticketing, but has only a limited number given to it. We are trying our best to satisfy all requests, but it can’t be 100%.”
RCB’s key batsman A.B. de Villiers stated that while the city has its fair share of CSK supporters, his team will retain the clear home advantage. “I know that CSK has fans all over the country, and I believe they have a fair amount of support here in Bengaluru. But it will definitely be a home game for us. The crowd gets behind us when we get some momentum going. I feel the crowd will lift us a lot on Wednesday,” de Villiers said.
