No matter where India play, the Men in Blue have garnered humungous support for themselves. Even in the United States of America - not a cricket-watching country - Team India has support in numbers thanks to its huge expat population residing in the states.
As such, India's matches at the ongoing T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by West Indies and the USA, were expected to be sell out affairs, especially the marquee India vs Pakistan match on June 9.
However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has come under fire for charging premium for Team India matches at the T20 World Cup. The criticism came to light after the India vs Ireland game on Wednesday, where the seats were visibly empty.
The immeasurable craze for Team India does not mean that the fans will pay anything that the ICC would ask for. Not to forget that the fans residing in India, have travelled miles to even watch their team play. The ticket prices are expensive even for the local supporters in the US.
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What was the attendance for India vs Ireland match in New York?
A few stands in India's inaugural encounter against Ireland, were empty, especially the premium ones. The prices charged by the ICC were described as outrageous by many.
During the India-Ireland game, the 'East Grandstand' was empty, besides the designated 'premium stands' of the venue.
For your reference, the venue in New York holds a capacity of 34000. However, as per estimates, only 20604 or so fans were in attendance.
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Here's the scene in Nassau County for India v Ireland. West grandstand is completely full. East grandstand about 3/4 full. Premium stands in the north and south sides are almost completely empty. Maybe 22-23,000 fans inside today. pic.twitter.com/E97Y0XKuYH
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) June 5, 2024
Another fan criticised the ICC for 'milking the fans' by selling the tickets to Team India's matches at a higher premium. The fan stated that the Council has set the prices as high as $900 (approx. 84000 INR).
Never imagined there could be empty stands for an India game at a World Cup.
— Kartik Kannan (@kartik_kannan) June 5, 2024
A Nepal game last night had near full stands. Don't tell me Indian fans can't make it to a stadium in the US.
The ICC should stop this milking of fans by selling India match tickets at 900 USD. The…
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What are the cheapest tickets for India vs Pakistan at the T20 World Cup 2024?
India will play arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, June 09, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. This is the same venue where they played, and beat, Ireland.
The cheapest tickets for arguably the most-anticipated clash of the tournament - India vs Pakistan - are from the Standard zone and costs about a whopping $840 (roughly INR 70000) while the costliest ticket is about $4,496.79 (Roughly 3.74 lakhs).
| Sorted By | Stand | Row | Section | Price per ticket (USD) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Price | Zone Standard | - | Standard Plus | 839.09 | Buy Now |
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