According to details available, while the prices of the student block ticket has been kept unchanged at Rs 300 — the same as the last T20 match — the rates of some of the other blocks have been jacked up by anything between 25 per cent and 66.6 per cent. (file)The Punjab Cricket Association on Tuesday released its schedule for ticket sales for the first T20 International between India and Australia, scheduled for September 20 at IS Bindra PCA International Stadium, with a quick glance at the rates showing a jump in prices in some categories by almost 66.6%, when compared to the last match.
According to details available, while the prices of the student block ticket has been kept unchanged at Rs 300 — the same as the last T20 match — the rates of some of the other blocks have been jacked up by anything between 25 per cent and 66.6 per cent.
Ticket sales for the match will begin on different online platforms from September 11.
During the last T20I match at Mohali stadium, tickets for the much-sought after chair block were priced at Rs 600.
As compared to the 2019 rate, this time the ticket for the same block has been fixed at Rs 1,000, an increase of 66.6 per cent.
According to details, the ticket prices for VIP West and East Blocks have not seen a jump and have been priced at Rs 1,500, as was the case last time.
Interestingly, though the ticket prices for the Terrace Block (now renamed as Harbhajan Singh Stand) has also been increased from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 — a jump of 25 per cent — those at North Pavillion (now renamed as Yuvraj Singh Stand) has remained untouched at Rs 2,000.
Tickets for the Elite Lounge as well Box Level seats too have been raised.
While the Elite Lounge, which was priced at Rs 4,500 in 2019, will now cost Rs 7,500 for the September 20 match (an increase of 66.6 per cent), a Box Level 1 seat will now pinch you by Rs 7,500, which is Rs 1,000 more than the last time.
The tickets prices for Box Level 2 (also known as Enclosure Box 2) have, on the other hand, been kept unchanged at Rs 10,000.
The stadium has a capacity of hosting 27,000 people, 8,000 of which are in the VIP block .
The increased ticket rates has, as expected, left fans disappointed.
“The increased rates mean that one has to spend in excess of Rs 3,000 to buy the lowest-priced tickets for a family of three. Apart from this food inside teh stadium is sold at rates higher than MRP. The last time we watched India play Australia in a T20I match at the stadium here was in 2016. Then too a lot of fans with valid tickets had been denied entry to teh stadium. The facilities at the stadium have not been renovated for a long time and there are no dedicated parking spaces for general ticket holders,” said Nitin Bhardwaj, a Mohali resident.
Prodded about the high ticket rates, a Punjab Cricket Association member said that they need the extra funds to improve infrastructure at the groundlevel of the stadium.
“We want to take Punjab cricket forward. Also, the India-Australia match is a popular contest and now tickets will see a high demand. That’s why the prices have been kept higher,” said PCA secretary, Dilsher Khanna.