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Sri Lanka Cricket in a significant move reduced the ticket prices for the ongoing Asia Cup by a staggering 95 per cent to fill up the empty stadium on Sunday, September 10. This decision was prompted by the earlier 40-fold surge in ticket prices, which led to the shocking scene of sparsely populated stadiums during the highly-anticipated matches.
To put things in perspective, tickets for one-day internationals in Sri Lanka typically cost around INR 250 rupees ($0.78). However, for the Asia Cup, the ticket prices skyrocketed to 10,000 rupees, a hike largely attributed to the tournament being organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board, even though most matches are taking place in Sri Lanka.
The considerable increase in ticket prices was not received well by the fans of cricket in Sri Lanka, a country known for its passion for the sport. This was evident during the Super Four clash between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where a mere 7,000 home supporters were present at the expansive R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, which can house up to 35,000 spectators.
Recognizing the dire need to reignite the fans' interest and revive the spirit of live cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket announced a significant price drop for the remaining Super Four matches. The revised prices now stand as low as 500 rupees, a direct effort to repopulate the stands and restore the enthusiasm that usually accompanies such significant tournaments.
The initial price hike was particularly hard-felt due to Sri Lanka's recent economic challenges, including acute shortages of essentials like food, fuel, and medicine, stemming from a severe foreign exchange crisis. This crisis also sparked political unrest and was a contributing factor in the ousting of the nation's president.
It's essential to note that the Asia Cup serves as a precursor to the soon-to-commence ODI World Cup. The venue for the majority of Asia Cup matches was shifted to Sri Lanka after India's refusal to tour Pakistan, citing political tensions.
A local Sri Lankan official, who preferred to remain unnamed, expressed his concerns to AFP about the unreasonably high ticket pricing set by Pakistan. He pointed out that the pricing strategy was not in line with the economic capabilities of the general public in Sri Lanka. He added, "This is bizarre. We tried to reason with the PCB but they had their reasons as they have lost out on money, maybe.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board has yet to comment on this matter.
Despite the revised prices, the India-Pakistan clash still saw a significant number of vacant seats, especially given that the grandstand tickets were priced at an exorbitant 64,000 rupees ($200). Understandably, fans were not pleased.
