IPL final? Hyderabadis booking WC tickets for India-Pak clash

HYDERABAD: IPL season 12 has not yet been done and dusted with the final slotted in Hyderabad on Sunday. Many Hyderabadi cricket fans, however, have already started packing their bags for an English summer at Old Trafford.
The iconic cricket venue will host an ICC World Cup group match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on June 16. Given that India has never lost a World Cup game to Pakistan, many of these fans have already booked their seats both on the flight to the UK and at Old Trafford.
Such is the frenzy that cricket buffs from the city have spent up to 2 lakh per person to book among the most expensive seats at the stadium. Authorised travel agents say that almost all their bookings from Hyderabad are for the 'gold' and 'platinum' galleries. Their hotel options too have been extravagant: four and five-star facilities priced at 20,000 to 30,000 per night.
"I have personally handled at least 40 passengers. On an average, they have paid about 2,000 pounds ( 1.8 lakh approx) for each ticket. And that's only for the India-Pak game," said the owner of a travel agency.
Cricket buffs spend up to Rs 2L for India-Pak match
The ‘bronze’ seats (in the Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 range) have been blocked for the other India games – against Australia and New Zealand.
While the travellers’ list is packed with die-hard fans, agents say there are also several tourists who have signed up for a cricket-cumholiday deal; many making their maiden trip overseas.
“We are a group of six. After the game in Manchester, we plan on travelling in and around London for a week before heading back,” said entrepreneur Amit Srivastav unable to contain his excitement. “It’s always worth spending on an India-Pakistan cricket match. You pay for the experience, not just the game,” he said. Each ticket cost Srivastav and his friends ?1.6 lakh.
Early birds like Sandeep Rathi, of course, paid much less. “Because I booked it in mid-2018, ticket costs were just about ?18,000 to ?20,000. But my friends who woke up late are now shelling out ?1.8 lakh,” said the city-based businessman, who has bought seats for the semi-finals and final.
“I gave the earlier India-Pakistan match a miss because I know the two sides will certainly qualify for the final stages,” Rathi said. His gang of 12 friends too are taking a road trip to Scotland after the games.
“We are still getting enquires for June. Because it is a holiday season, people are looking at UK and Europe packages in and around the time the World Cup is on. We expect the demand to further pick up over the next few weeks,” said Abdul Majid Faheen, chairman, Travel Agents Federation of India (Hyderabad chapter).