IPL 2023, MI vs CSK: After Chepauk, MS Dhoni fever grips Wankhede, Officials mobbed with requests for tickets to watch MI vs CSK IPL 2023 clash

MI vs CSK: MS Dhoni – MS Dhoni’s craze refuses to slow down despite the wicketkeeper batter being retired from international cricket for three years. After Ahmedabad and Chepauk, the Wankhede crowd are ready to do whatever it takes to watch Dhoni play against Mumbai Indians on Saturday (April 8). With crowds at Wankhede anticipating this to be the last IPL for Dhoni, MCA officials have received an insane number of unread messages and missed calls.  Follow Indian Premier League LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.

“There are 1,634 unread messages and more than 350 missed calls. All have one request, ‘Can we get passes for the IPL game?’” Naik told The Indian Express.

“There is tremendous pressure for passes, especially for this game (MI vs CSK). Probably, many feel that it’s Dhoni’s last season and want to watch this game. This is the case with every MCA administrator. Their phones are full of requests for passes. There is great demand,” Naik said.

MI CSK: Dhoni mania grips Wankhede, MCA President Amol Kale said ‘Never received so many calls in life as received in last two days’

Ahmedabad saw over one lakh people turn out to cheer MS Dhoni, Chepauk turned yellow to show their support for Thala. And now by the looks of it, Wankhede Stadium will also be packed to full capacity to cheer for Dhoni. Such is the demand for tickets that MCA President Amol Kale has said that he has not received as many calls in his entire life as he has received in the last couple of days.

“Everyone calls hoping that they will get the best seat for the game but it’s getting tough to accommodate everyone. We have limited seats and demand for passes is too high. I have never received as many calls in my life as I have received in the last two days,” MCA president Amol Kale said.

IPL 2023: Kasi Viswanathan explains the reason behind fans insane love for Dhoni

For the unversed, Dhoni is yet to officially announce his retirement from IPL. Fans think this might the last and are willing to give the legendary cricketer a fitting send-off, everywhere he is going to play. Apart from Dhoni, only Sachin Tendulkar received this amount of love and fans when he turned out to play his last IPL for Mumbai Indians in 2013. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has said that Dhoni is a global icon, and fans want to catch a glimpse of him whenever he plays.

“Wherever we go, you will find his craze. His fans are not only in India but abroad too. I can’t tell you the number of requests we get every time the IPL season starts. We receive endless photo requests, meet requests, but we don’t entertain them at all. Even here, the demand for tickets is such that we can’t meet it. He (Dhoni) is a global icon and it’s natural that everyone wants to see him,” Chennai Super Kings chief executive officer Kasi Vishwanath said.

Not only during matches, but MCA also saw first-hand the fandom of Dhoni, when they had organized a special function to set up a memorial on the seat, where the wicketkeeper-batter’s World Cup winning six landed at Wankhede Stadium. Hundreds of MCA officials surrounded Dhoni when was cutting the ribbon. Everyone wanted a picture with Dhoni.

Mumbai| 2011 World Cup victory memorial will be built at the site where Dhoni’s winning six had landed in Wankhede stadium. 5 chairs of MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) pavilion stand will be removed for this(seat number J282 -J286). Today, MS Dhoni will be felicitated at the… pic.twitter.com/5VylzzFoPA

— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2023