India’s absence in WTC final to cost Lord’s £4 million in revenue

London: India's failure to qualify for the World Test Championship final is expected to cost Lord’s nearly 4 million pounds in revenue when it hosts the five-day match in June.

After finishing as runners-up in the last two editions, India missed out on a spot in the summit clash, with Australia and South Africa now set to battle for the ultimate glory in Test cricket.

"Lord’s is set to generate nearly £4million less in revenue for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final after India’s failure to qualify," a report in The Times said.

"...the absence of India has significantly curtailed the financial windfall expected by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), underscoring the financial influence of Indian cricket across the global game." Having spent most of the past year in the top two of the ICC World Test Championship standings, Rohit Sharma and his team slipped to third place after losing a home series 0-3 to New Zealand, followed by a 1-3 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, thus missing out on the final.

MCC had originally set premium ticket prices for the World Test Championship final, anticipating that India’s participation would lead to a surge in ticket sales. However, once it became clear that India would not make it to the final, the MCC revised their strategy and reduced ticket prices.

"The decision to be flexible with prices for the World Test Championship final was taken this year, with tickets now being sold at between £40 and £90 — about £50 cheaper than they had originally been priced, accounting for the loss in revenue," the report said.

The MCC had faced criticism last year during England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, when only 9,000 spectators attended the fourth day of the match, prompting them to reconsider their pricing strategy for this event.