Bengalureans race against technology to grab India-Pak World Cup tickets

Indian fans have been a busy lot since tickets for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 went on sale on August 25. While getting tickets for the tournament was a difficult task, the struggle didn’t end there, they tell Metrolife. 

Though the series kicks off on October 5, with an England-New Zealand match, the excitement is around the India-Pakistan clash on October 14. 

Akash B R and his friends used every gadget they own to get tickets for the India versus Pakistan match on October 14. In the end, they could only snag two tickets. “Six of us were simultaneously looking for tickets for the match from 15 to 20 devices. It didn’t help that the booking app kept crashing,” he tells Metrolife.

Travel blogger Nivedith G managed to grab three tickets — the India-Pakistan game in Ahmedabad, and the India-Sri Lanka and India-Netherlands ties in Bengaluru. 

He says, “The presale for all India matches went live at 6 pm on August 29. I had logged in 15 minutes before. The moment it struck 6 pm, within seconds, I was put on a waiting list. The waiting time increased from 5 minutes to 20 minutes to 30 minutes to 2 days in no time. I waited for an hour and then gave up.” He later read online that a fan was “waitlisted for four months’. 

Strategic planning

The exclusive sale of India-Pakistan match tickets went live on September 3. Since rumours were thick that tech-savvy fans and hackers were employing bots, a strategy was needed. “This time, some fans from Bengaluru, Chennai and Kochi formed a WhatsApp group to plan how we could be quicker,” Nivedith adds. Nivedith and fellow blogger Hrish Thota were in the group. “We opened the website 10-15 minutes prior and registered our details. Then we pasted the URL of the booking page in an incognito window to save a few seconds. I had also saved my payment details and address (for home delivery of tickets) in advance,” recalls Hrish. But not everyone was lucky. “There were more than 30 people in the group. Only six of us got tickets,” says Nivedith.

Gladly, the World Cup tickets cost them Rs 4,000 or less, and not the eye-watering Rs 65,000 or Rs 56 lakh, as mentioned in some reports.

Hunt for accommodation

The match tickets, at Rs 2,500 each, are the cheapest part of Akash’s trip. “One-way flights to Ahmedabad from Bengaluru cost around Rs 15,000. So we are flying to Mumbai and then taking a bus or train to Ahmedabad. It is 50 percent cheaper,” he says. Most Bengalureans have the same plan. 

However, the IT employee is still unsure about where he will stay. “Hotel prices are through the roof. One place quoted a reasonable price but does not allow bachelors. We’ve booked it as a backup. We even called up temples like Iskcon to check for accommodation. They were fully booked too,” says the 32-year-old. 

Corporate employee Salik M, 27, is in a similar situation. “My wife and I have tickets for the India-Pakistan game, but no accommodation yet. Even subpar hotels are charging Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000. If all else fails, we will crash at a friend’s place,” he says.

Luckily, Nivedith booked an Airbnb for under Rs 10,000 before the tickets went on sale. “It is possible the owner might cancel my booking if he finds someone ready to pay more. But I am prepared. I will stay at a friend’s place,” he says. Hrish had booked a hotel room for Rs 6,000 as early as June when the tentative schedule of the World Cup surfaced.