Cricket fever has gripped the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in Odisha as the second ODI of the ongoing India-England series will be played at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
While the match is already a sell-out, tickets are only available on the black market with prices soaring up to ₹10,000 each.
Police on Friday arrested seven ticket touts near the Barabati stadium. While three of them were selling tickets at a higher price, four others were selling tickets worth ₹1,100 for ₹7,000 each.
The atmosphere around the Barabati Stadium was almost frenzied, with a big crowd of fans creating a stampede-like situation. The situation was chaotic as thousands of cricket lovers who were denied tickets created a ruckus.
"Everybody wants to witness the match. Had we been denied tickets in a fair manner, we would not have complained. But here the tickets are being sold in the black market and passes are being distributed left and right. Ministers, government officials and the lackeys of the cricket board have grabbed passes. So it's easy to understand the anger among the fans," said Raja Prasad Mohanty, a cricket fan.
The last international match that the Cuttack stadium hosted was between India and West Indies on December 22, 2019.
Police commissioner (Bhubaneswar-Cuttack) S. Dev Datta Singh said: "We will be putting up screens for the fans who could not get tickets to watch the match. There is no reason for them to be disappointed. Security has been tightened in the twin cities, especially in and around Barabati, with the deployment of 50 police platoons. Spectators will not be allowed to carry water bottles to the stadium during the match.”