Mahendra Singh Dhoni Captain of Chennai Super Kings and Virat Kohli Captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore at the toss during match 35 of the Vivo Indian Premier League between the ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE and the CHENNAI SUPER KINGS held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on the 24th September 2021. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia / Sportzpics for IPL)
There are still three more days to go, but there is a frenzy already building over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home match against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday as it could well be MS Dhoni’s last outing. The night fixture at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium will eventually decide whether one of them makes it to the play-offs, with RCB who are in a red-hot form looking to knock their arch-rivals CSK out of contention.
On X (formerly Twitter), there is a separate hashtag #RCBvsCSKtickets, where fans have put match tickets (can’t be verified if it is genuine or not) on sale at inflated prices. And there are also statutory warning messages from influencers warning people to not buy tickets in the black market as RCB’s official website has already revealed that the tickets are all sold out.
Last week at the Cubbon Park area, the sprawling greens not far from the stadium, hawkers were seen selling CSK match-day kits even before RCB’s match against Delhi Capitals. After their win over Rajasthan Royals last Sunday, if they win against RCB on Saturday, CSK will make it to the play-offs. Even if they lose by a smaller margin, there is still scope for them to make it.
That the marquee clash has now become a do or die contest for both the teams means there are several fans from Chennai who are planning to travel to Bengaluru for the game. Since the tickets were already sold out, there is a huge demand for the tickets despite forecasts of rain. Last season, on the eve of the match, tickets worth Rs 2,405 were sold for Rs 10,000.
Unlike the opening match of this IPL at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where both the teams played in front of a sea of yellow in the stands, the story will be different at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with RCB fans expected to outnumber. However, like it has been the case in every venue across India, thanks to a large number of Tamil-speaking people living in Bengaluru, one expects a good number of CSK fans at Chinnaswamy Stadium as well.
After starting their campaign on a disappointing note and appearing to be all at sea, RCB have bounced back, winning five on the bounce. However, CSK will be a stern test for them, who have a better head-to-head record against RCB in Bengaluru. In 10 matches at Chinnaswamy stadium, CSK have won 5 with RCB winning it on four occasions. It is in total contrast to Chepauk, where RCB are winless against CSK since the inaugural edition of the IPL.
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