COLOMBO: Demand for tickets for Sunday’s blockbuster ICC T20 World Cup clash between arch rivals Pakistan and India has sent Colombo into a frenzy days before the first ball at the R Premadasa Stadium, News reported.
A visit to the stadium ticket counters on Thursday revealed that long, hectic queues were still forming outside the ticket counters, although officials said the match was already sold out.
“We don’t have any tickets available for Sunday’s match. I don’t know why fans are still queuing,” said one of the spectators at the stand. “The entire stadium, with a capacity of 37,000, was sold out yesterday. Most tickets were purchased online.”
Interestingly, there was no visible ‘Sold Out’ signage at the counters, adding to the confusion among fans who had traveled from different parts of Sri Lanka and even abroad in the hope of securing last minute passes.
“We have not received any instructions from the organizers to display a full display,” said another official present at the stand, when asked about the lack of public information.
The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, often dubbed “the mother of all battles”, has historically broken ticket sales records wherever it has taken place, from Melbourne to Manchester, Dubai to New York. Colombo is no exception. In fact, this is the first time that Sri Lanka is hosting a T20 World Cup encounter between the two cricketing giants, making the occasion even more historic and emotional.
Hotels in the city are reportedly operating near full capacity, while airline bookings from Karachi, Lahore, Delhi and Mumbai increased earlier this week. Local transportation services and vendors around the stadium are also preparing for unprecedented activity on game day.
However, where demand explodes, opportunists follow.
The black market has already started operating discreetly around the venue and online platforms. According to local sources, tickets initially sold at Rs 500 are expected to cost between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000, or even more on the day of the match.
“You will see a Rs 500 ticket selling for Rs 10,000 on Sunday,” said a local organizer on condition of anonymity. “People used to buy tickets in bulk through online portals. Now they will resell them at huge profits.”
Authorities should step up security around the stadium to combat illegal resale, but experience suggests that controlling clandestine ticket trading during an India-Pakistan encounter is no easy task.
However, for many fans, the price is secondary to the passion. The opportunity to see Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and Babar Azam take on India’s formidable bowling attack, or to watch Indian batsmen compete under the lights of Pakistan’s batting at Premadasa, is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
