CSK’s losing streak hits ticket demand

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) dwindling IPL form this season has cast a shadow over ticket sales for their upcoming match at Chepauk. When online booking opened on Monday morning for Friday's fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), fans faced no waiting time — an unusual sight for a team known for drawing massive crowds. Even the lower-stand tickets, usually the first to sell out, remained available hours after release.
Seats in premium areas like the KMK Terrace, priced at 7,500, stayed unsold long after bookings began. In stark contrast, earlier matches this season — particularly the opener against Mumbai Indians — witnessed frenzied demand with over 40,000 fans queuing online, leaving ticketing platforms overwhelmed.
"As soon as we logged in, the site showed 3,600 people ahead in the queue with an estimated wait time of six minutes. But surprisingly, we managed to book two tickets almost immediately," said Rajasekaran D.
The slump even disrupted the black market, where resellers traditionally charge two to three times the ticket's face value. A regular black marketeer from Madipakkam admitted that while he previously made 30,000 per match by selling tickets via social media, this week he is stuck with unsold stock. "We bought 10 tickets for I and J Upper Stand, hoping to sell them for 4,000 each. But fans hang up the moment they hear the price," he said, recalling how the same tickets fetched 7,000 to 8,000 for the earlier MI match. Some tickets for the match with Royal Challengers Bengaluru were sold for up to 50,000.
With the CSK's playoff hopes all but gone, even die-hard supporters are backing off. "People used to pay anything to see Dhoni, but now, they don't want to watch their team get thrashed again," said D Sigamani, a long-time fan who attended every match last year but isn't buying a ticket this time.