IPL final and playoff games were moved from Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium due to the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s request for an extra 10,057 free tickets, according to a BCCI source.
As Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the reigning champions, Bengaluru was supposed to host the final. However, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal told PTI that the huge demand for free tickets at the comparatively small venue—which can only hold 35,000 spectators—made it “untenable” to hold the finale in Bengaluru.
The title match on May 31 will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, while the playoff games this season will take place in Dharamsala on May 26 and New Chandigarh on May 27 and 29.
“The KSCA is entitled to complimentary tickets amounting to 15 per cent of the stadium capacity. However, KSCA requested for an additional 10,057 tickets,” PTI quoted the BCCI source as saying.
In order to satisfy the requests of the state legislature members alone, the association required about 900 passes.
“KSCA agreed to provide three complimentary passes each to MLAs/MLCs (approximately 900 passes in total). “Further, the Expert Committee and the additional commitments with the Government of Karnataka would have required an additional 750 complimentary tickets in addition to a limited number of hospitality complimentary passes beyond the standard 15 per cent.”
Only roughly 20,000 tickets would have remained for the fans as a result.
According to the source, a tranche of paid tickets at a discounted price was also needed by the association.
“It also included 3,007 tickets in P3 stand at a concessional rate of Rs 2,000 for cricket-playing clubs and 900 tickets in the Members’ Stand for spouse and children of the members. Other than that the association also needed to purchase 1,000 tickets in M4 stand at an average price of about Rs 2000 and 3,500 tickets across stands for purchase by life members,” the source said.
The numbers supported Dhumal’s claim.
“(Chinnaswamy) Stadium capacity is also not that high. Very few tickets were available there for league games as well. Since the IPL final attracts people from around the world, we need to have a larger inventory (of tickets) available for fans,” he had said.
