‘Yellove’ in victory, no love in defeat?: Demand for IPL tickets drops amid CSK’s losing streak

CHENNAI: Seems like Chennai Super Kings' 12th man won't back the team when the going gets tough. IPL tickets for the the CSK-Punjab Kings match, which should have been sold out in the blink of an eye, were still available on match day — something as rare as seeing CSK at the bottom of the table.
On Wednesday, seats in four stands H, G, F, and D upper including those priced from 3,000, had no takers for a long time.

Brokers also struggled to offload complimentary tickets, which earlier fetched up to five times their value. On Tuesday, they were chasing buyers across WhatsApp groups, Instagram, and Facebook, even offering tickets at or below face value. By Wednesday evening, prices were slashed by 50% lower-stand tickets originally priced at 4,500 were being sold at 2,750.
Of the 35,000 seats, only about 18,000 go up for online sale; the rest are complimentary and typically sold in black. Swadish Bharathi, who routinely sells such tickets, said sales were bleak. "Even at half the price, no one is willing to buy them. Regulars just wanted to get rid of their tickets," he said, adding that many avoided brokers fearing fakes. "The Zomato app is secure it allows transfer only between valid accounts. QR codes are generated just before the match. So many chose to buy at MRP," he added.
Fans blamed CSK's patchy form for the dip in demand. Many said the ticket sales were as rigged as ever but with the team slipping, interest crashed. "Winning or losing isn't the issue. There was no intent in the first leg. It was only after Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis joined that the batting got some spark. But it's too late now," said a CSK fan, K Abhinandnan. "Even the Dhoni craze is fading. People expect performance."
Parking lots on Wednesday were empty, said A Venkatesh, who went to the stadium for the match. "This is a first for Chennai. In Gujarat, most tickets are sold online transparently at costs as low as 100 to 500, even for the stands with the best view. Here, the opaque sales system and poor on-field performance have hit demand hard," he said. Wednesday's match was CSK's penultimate home game; the last will be againt Rajasthan Royals.