COLOMBO: Ticket demand for Sunday’s blockbuster ICC World Cup T20 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India has sent Colombo into a frenzy days ahead of the first ball at the R Premadasa Stadium, The News reported.
A visit to the stadium’s ticket booths on Thursday showed long, restless queues still forming outside the counters despite officials saying the match had already sold out.
“We do not have any tickets available for the Sunday match. I don’t know why fans are still lining up,” said one of the attendants at the booth. “The entire 37,000-capacity stadium was sold out yesterday. Most of the tickets were purchased online.”
Interestingly, there was no visible ‘Sold Out’ signage displayed at the counters, adding to the confusion among supporters who had travelled from different parts of Sri Lanka and even overseas in the hope of securing last-minute entry passes.
“We have not received any instructions from the organisers to put up a sold-out notice,” another official at the booth clarified when asked about the absence of public information.
The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, often dubbed the “mother of all battles,” has historically shattered ticket sales records wherever it has been staged, from Melbourne to Manchester, Dubai to New York. Colombo is no exception. In fact, this is the first time Sri Lanka is hosting a World Cup T20 encounter between the two cricketing giants, making the occasion even more historic and emotionally charged.
Hotels in the city are reportedly operating near full capacity, while airline bookings from Karachi, Lahore, Delhi and Mumbai surged earlier this week. Local transport services and vendors around the stadium are also gearing up for unprecedented match-day activity.
However, where demand soars, opportunists follow.
The black market has already begun operating discreetly around the venue and online platforms. According to local sources, tickets originally priced at Rs 500 are expected to fetch anywhere between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 or even more on match day.
“You will see a Rs 500 ticket selling for Rs 10,000 on Sunday,” said a local organiser on condition of anonymity. “People purchased tickets in bulk through online portals. Now they will resell them at massive profits.”
Authorities are expected to increase security around the stadium to curb illegal reselling, but experience suggests that controlling the underground ticket trade during an India-Pakistan encounter is no easy task.
For many fans, however, price is secondary to passion. The opportunity to witness Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam take on India’s formidable bowling attack, or to see Indian batsmen square off against Pakistan’s pace battery under lights at Premadasa, is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
