RCB-CSK Wednesday encounter sends temperatures soaring

Any match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings is a big draw, with tickets selling out in a jiffy. The marquee clash is scheduled for Wednesday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and this time, the demand for tickets and passes has been “extraordinary”, as a KSCA official put it.

The online tickets were the first to be sold out and the box-office tickets (G-stand) that were put on sale on Sunday were snapped up within a few hours. And unlike two tickets per person for every other match, only one ticket was reserved for each buyer for the RCB-CSK match. In fact, there was no box-office sale of higher denomination (other than G-stand) tickets as they were all snapped up online itself.

While the demand for tickets of CSK vs RCB match is always high, twin reasons have resulted in extra clamour. Firstly, CSK are returning to the Indian Premier League after a two-year hiatus that has their huge legion of fans excited. And secondly, the shifting of CSK’s home matches to Pune due to the Cauvery dispute has ensured that fans from Chennai flock the nearest venues to see their heroes in action.

“There has been tremendous pressure on us for tickets and passes, we have never faced such pressure anytime in the recent past,” said KSCA spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya. “Mumbai Indians’ and CSK matches have always been a sellout but this time there has been an extraordinary demand for the Chennai match. Also, the fan following for CSK and RCB is the highest in the country, so that has led to a spurt in demand for tickets,” he explained.

Even KSCA members, who get two tickets and complimentary passes for each match, are struggling to get their share.

“We have been telling our members and all our associates to excuse us for this match,” he pointed out. “We don’t have tickets at all in the first place and we have limited number of passes to distribute. We are just trying to take care of the members as per the protocol. Normally, we sell two tickets to each of our members for every match. But this time, even those tickets are not available in full quota.”