Match ‘sold out’ but fans find tickets on the black market

MUMBAI: Tickets for India’s semifinal clash against the West Indies were a prized commodity on Thursday, with a lot of people alleging that they were selling at 5 to 10 times the actual cost in the black market. While officially there were no tickets available, yet people were seen hanging around the stadium exploring various channels to get their hands on the prized commodity. “We have been coming here for days but there are no tickets on sale officially. We all know there is a different channel for tickets. We are just waiting here for that,” said a fan.

For the public, the sale had ended even before India had qualified for the semifinal. The online portal, BookMyShow, too closed the sale long back. But after India qualified for the semifinal, the demand went through the roof.

Approximately 19,000 tickets were put up for sale, while the remaining 14,000 in the 33,000-capacity stadium were handed out to affiliate clubs of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), committee members, former cricketers and government officials. “A North Stand ticket, officially priced at `1500, was being sold for `15,000; in some cases `20,000,” said an MCA official. The black market price rose to as high as `50,000 for a seat in the Garware Pavilion, a sought-after stand next to the pavilion.

19,000 TICKETS WERE PUT UP FOR SALE, WHILE THE REMAINING 14,000 WERE GIVEN TO AFFILIATE CLUBS OF MUMBAI CRICKET ASSOCIATION (MCA), COMMITTEE MEMBERS