The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup got underway on June 1, and the big game between India and Pakistan is scheduled for June 9 but several tickets are unsold three days ahead of the marquee IND vs PAK clash.
The start of week two will see one of the tournament’s most anticipated clashes get underway at the Nassau County Stadium in New York, as India and Pakistan face off in an important Group A encounter on Sunday, June 9. Given that the teams do not meet in bilateral cricket, their matches in ICC events and Asia Cups are always ones to look forward to.
However, if the ICC’s ticketing website is any indicator, it appears that the atmosphere at the venue might not be as electric as many had predicted.
Suboptimal scheduling of matches for local fans
Both matches played so far at the Nassau County Stadium have been marked by empty stands, clearly visible on match broadcasts. South Africa vs Sri Lanka took place on a Monday morning, while India vs Ireland was on Wednesday morning.
With these matches scheduled by the ICC keeping the Indian television audience in mind, the chances of locals attending the games amid their daily schedule are quite low.
Are IND vs PAK tickets still unsold?
The empty stands seen in the New York games so far have been those with a straight view of the pitch, the Premium Club Lounge and Diamond Club ticket categories. The premium tickets were priced at $1,000 for India vs Ireland, but the same seats for India-Pakistan will require fans to fork out $2500 (roughly INR 2.1 lakh). The Diamond Club seats are more expensive still, at $10,000.
ICC and USA cricket have sold these tickets at 900 USD onwards for straight stand views. Some of these stands were selling for 2000 USD for the India 🇮🇳 vs Pakistan 🇵🇰 game later this week
For a new sport for Americans to lap up, there is way too much friction. One has to take… pic.twitter.com/Bny1eC88TO
— Kartik Kannan (@kartik_kannan) June 5, 2024
As of three days before the match, hundreds of these seats are still available to be booked, per the ICC website. Standard tickets for this game also start at $300, double the amount they were priced at for the India-Ireland match. These tickets have been sold out, as well as all the categories up to the Premium Club Lounge seats.
A significant number of tickets for the IND vs PAK game in New York are still available.
Improper facilities adding to concerns for fans
Cost is not the only factor affecting the attendance levels in New York. News spreading through word-of-mouth about the poor stadium experience and ticketing process may also have contributed to fans opting to stay away, from the more expensive seats in particular.
Met Jagan Vinyagam, 48, originally from Chennai but living in NJ for last 20 years. Paid $350 for a “premium” ticket, only to be randomly assigned to last row, top of the stadium, section 247. He feels like he got scammed. “there was no transparency in the ticket buying process.” pic.twitter.com/UGC1zYRmgn
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) June 5, 2024
Just ran into an old Columbia Cricket Club teammate, Ganesh. He paid $225 tix, plus $200 for parking, but his 3 hour drive from Hartford, CT meant heavy traffic. Didn’t arrive until Ireland bowled out. “I paid $425 for a bad seat to watch 10 overs.” Would he come back? “Hell no!” pic.twitter.com/Vy4xP9vJNz
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) June 5, 2024
India vs Pakistan being a marquee clash, the pattern over the years has generally been that tickets are sold out very soon after being made available. As a result, the ICC and tournament sponsors perhaps remained confident that this would be the case this time around as well.
However, with this many seats still unsold so close to the match, it appears that they may just have found the limit to which even the most ardent of supporters are willing or able to loosen their purse strings.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
