It is chaos outside the Barabati Stadium as fans hope to get a ticket for the upcoming India vs South Africa t20I in the city. The Barabati Stadium will host first of the 5-match series against South Africa on December 9. Craze for the game is at all-time high with cricket returning to one of India’s historic venues.
As per Odisha TV, fans had been queueing outside the stadium since 4 AM despite the cold weather. Tickets went on sale at 9 AM at the counters on Friday, with fans rushing to get in line. Some even stumbled over each other, trying to squeeze through gaps to get ahead in the queue.
Cuttack is known for its cricket frenzy crowd with long queues and ticketing issues the norm in the India vs England ODI played at the venue earlier this year as well. As per Odisha TV, the authorities has layed out a plan for serpentine queues to streamline the process. However, videos suggest that whose plans went for a toss amid fan craze.
It is sobering and concerning given the Bengaluru incident is still fresh in Indian cricket. 11 people lost their lives after a stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations. Bengaluru is yet to host a game since.
Unlike Vizag, Cuttack opted for staged tickets, with both online and offline sales. Online sales last just 30 minutes. The demand for tickets remain high, with black marketing efforts rampant. Purported photographs circulating on social media suggest that gallery tickets priced at Rs 700 are being offered unofficially for as high as Rs 6,000. Reports also claim that complimentary tickets worth ₹1,100 are allegedly being sold for similar inflated rates across online platforms.
Cuttack will begin India’s 5-match T20I series on December 9. The series will then move to Mullanpur, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad.
