The upcoming T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan, scheduled for June 9 in New York, is causing a frenzy not just on the pitch, but in the stands and beyond. As per recent media reports on Monday, ticket prices have skyrocketed following the opening of the resale market.
Initially sold out, tickets for the high-stakes matches, including India's face-offs against Pakistan in New York and Canada in Florida on June 15, have re-emerged on resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek at more than double the original pricing. Some of these tickets are now fetching sums as steep as INR 1.86 crore.
In stark contrast to the initial sales phase via the ICC website, where ticket prices ranged from a modest INR 497 to INR 33,148 excluding taxes, the resale market has seen VIP seats surge to approximately INR 33.15 lakh. After including platform charges, the price balloons to around INR 41.44 lakh.
The disparity is evident on platforms like StubHub, where the lowest-priced ticket for the marquee India-Pakistan match is listed at INR 1.04 lakh, and on SeatGeek, where the premium seats have hit the stratospheric mark of INR 1.86 crore, inclusive of platform fees.
This pricing surge far outstrips that of major American sports events, with the average World Series ticket exceeding $1,100 (about INR 9 lakh), and NBA Finals tickets reaching resale values of approximately $24,000 (around INR 19.9 lakh).
Tickets for other India-centric matches in the tournament are also commanding hefty resale premiums, though not quite matching the astronomical rates of the India-Pakistan game.
As the ICC T20 World Cup draws closer, the build-up to the epic India-Pakistan encounter has already sent ripples through the cricketing world, igniting excitement and anticipation for what is often dubbed the 'ultimate rivalry'. With the battle set to unfold on American soil, fans are grappling with the reality of these unprecedented ticket prices.