Near-empty stands, lack of buzz for India-Pakistan game raises eyebrows
It takes more than just excellent cricket to create the mood of a Roman colosseum in a cricket stadium when india and pakistan are playing. However, the atmosphere at the Pallekele Stadium on saturday for the Asia Cup 2023 Group A match between india and pakistan was surprisingly calm. Fans who waved flags and cheered and applauded were present. india bats first, but not in numbers that regularly electrify the stadium. In contrast to an Indo-Pak cricket match, there were many empty spots in the grandstand and on the grass banks here.
As you can see, not all of the tickets have been sold. In fact, Kandy and Colombo continued to sell tickets well into yesterday evening. The most expensive tickets in the Grand Stand didn't draw a lot of interest, an SLC official told PTI on the condition of anonymity. The cheapest ticket price was initially USD 20 (about LKR 6400), but it was later reduced to LKR 1500 and LKR 2560 if two india matches against pakistan and nepal were purchased. Even still, there wasn't much of a rush for the tickets, which made some fans quite happy.
"Tickets were easy to get by. In Colombo, I really received the ticket yesterday. We anticipated that there wouldn't be any seats available because it's an india vs. pakistan game. However, we are not grumbling. After all, we don't need to go through the usual excitement when watching an india vs. pakistan game in india," said varun Ghosh, a businessman who lives and works in Colombo. The authorities were a little let down as well.
It is a little unexpected. Although the Embankment tickets are priced at a reasonable value for them, I can understand why some people would find the Grand Stand tickets expensive (about LKR 64,000). The weekend is also here. The official said that it may possibly be because of the forecast for rain during the game.
While the officials were somewhat underwhelmed, the hotel owners and tour guides were appalled by the lower-than-expected crowd influx. Unlike India's world cup game in Ahmedabad, where hotel rates have skyrocketed, there was no hurry to reserve any of the available rooms at any of the hotels. "We were preparing for a significant fan surge. We have seen the reaction of the crowd to the india vs. pakistan game. However, we still have rooms available on our site, and this is true of many other locations as well, according to the owner of a well-known hotel chain in this area.
It is a little unexpected. Although the Embankment tickets are priced at a reasonable value for them, I can understand why some people would find the Grand Stand tickets expensive (about LKR 64,000). The weekend is also here. The official said that it may possibly be because of the forecast for rain during the game.
While the officials were somewhat underwhelmed, the hotel owners and tour guides were appalled by the lower-than-expected crowd influx. Unlike India's world cup game in Ahmedabad, where hotel rates have skyrocketed, there was no hurry to reserve any of the available rooms at any of the hotels. "We were preparing for a significant fan surge. We have seen the reaction of the crowd to the india vs. pakistan game. However, we still have rooms available on our site, and this is true of many other locations as well, according to the owner of a well-known hotel chain in this area.