India-West Indies T20I ticket resale allegations have sparked controversy in Ranchi, with claims that fans are being charged double prices as authorities prepare for the October 9 match.
India-West Indies Ranchi T20I Ticket: The India-West Indies T20I in Ranchi has run into a ticket controversy just days before the October 9 match. Allegations have surfaced that some tickets are being resold outside the JSCA International Stadium at prices much higher than their original value.
Jharkhand Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has raised the issue and questioned why such alleged resale is happening despite a large police and administrative presence around the stadium.
Reports in Hindi newspapers, including a Dainik Bhaskar sting report, have also claimed that some people were offering tickets for much more than their printed prices.
Babulal Marandi Questions Ticket Resale
Marandi raised the matter on X after sharing a video that allegedly showed people selling tickets near the stadium. He claimed that daily-wage workers, reza-kulis and other people with limited income were being used to buy tickets from queues. These tickets were then allegedly being sold again at two or three times their original price.
Marandi also questioned how people could carry out such activity when security and police teams were present around the stadium. He demanded action against those involved and said such practices hurt genuine cricket fans who are trying to get tickets at official prices.
Reports Claim Tickets Sold For Double The Price
A Dainik Bhaskar sting report has added to the allegations. According to reports citing the sting, a ticket with a printed price of ₹2,000 was allegedly being offered for ₹4,000. Another ticket priced at ₹1,600 was reportedly being offered for ₹3,200.
Another ground report claimed that four tickets worth ₹2,000 each were being offered for ₹16,000 in total. Tickets with a face value of ₹2,500 were also allegedly being sold for ₹5,000 each.
Some people standing in queues reportedly claimed that women and children were being paid to stand in line and buy extra tickets. The tickets were then allegedly taken for resale. These claims haven’t been independently established by JSCA or the police.
Thousands Of Tickets Sold Within Minutes
The controversy has come as demand for the Ranchi match remains very high. Around 4,022 online tickets were reportedly sold within just 17 minutes after the online sale opened.
Another 4,011 tickets were reportedly sold through stadium counters on the first day. This took the reported first-day sales to 8,033 tickets.
Large crowds were later seen outside the stadium, with fans reaching the venue hours before the counters opened. Police also had to step in to control the crowd on at least one occasion.
Official ticket prices for the match reportedly start at ₹1,600 and go up to ₹18,000 depending on the enclosure and category. This means a ticket being sold for ₹8,000 or ₹16,000 isn’t automatically proof of black marketing if it belongs to an official premium category. The allegations mainly concern cheaper tickets allegedly being sold above their printed prices.
Fake Ticket Warning Also Raises Concern
There has also been a warning about a ticket allegedly being circulated as a fake JSCA match ticket on social media. A Prabhat Khabar report said JSCA was aware of the viral ticket but hadn’t received the original ticket for checking. Fans have been advised to be careful while buying tickets online because of the risk of fraud.
India will play West Indies in the second T20I at the JSCA International Stadium on October 9. The huge demand has added pressure on officials to manage the crowds and prevent genuine fans from being cheated by fake or overpriced tickets.