On match day, some seats could go empty!

The Karnataka State Cricket Association had been forced to reserve seats for fans who  bought tickets online when the match was scheduled at Kolkata. The KSCA also had to meet commitments made to the International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, besides obliging the needs of various government bodies.

With only a limited number of tickets available across the  counters, the scenario that unfolded at the KSCA was only to be expected. But now, the focus will surely turn to the tickets bought online by the Kolkatans.

According to KSCA officials, about 7,000 tickets had been bought online by fans in England and Kolkata when sales first opened for the match at kyazoonga.com, the official ticketing website. But the State association has no information on how many fans will actually arrive from Kolkata to watch the match.

In normal practice, the tickets are to be couriered to those who would have booked online, but until Thursday night, there was no clear idea if those fans actually would make it to the venue. In such an eventuality, there could even be a few empty seats at the venue.

According to reports from Kolkata, many people who bought tickets initially have been left in the lurch, with no clear information available on the ticketing website.

KSCA officials said tickets that are returned would be sold online. But with just two days left for the match, and the site crashing due to overload when it opened the sale of final tickets, things do not look rosy for the Bangalore fan.