File picture of spectators at Barabati Stadium during the April 22 IPL tie

Cuttack, April 25: Cricket enthusiasts fretting over the non-reduction of ticket prices for the Deccan Chargers-Pune Warriors India tie on May 1 at the Barabati just got lucky.

Officials of Deccan Chargers have agreed to sell tickets as per its previous agreement with the Odisha Cricket Association after the latter put its foot down, telling the team to look for an alternative venue if the ticket rates were not slashed.

The Chargers have also assured the association to refund the excess money charged from spectators yesterday, the first day of counter sale of tickets for the upcoming match.

“People, who have purchased the gallery tickets at higher price, would be reimbursed the extra cost at the Barabati Stadium counters from tomorrow. The tickets would be sold as per our previous agreement with the Chargers,” said secretary of the association Ashirbad Behera.

The association and the Hyderabad-based team of the Indian Premier League, which has adopted Cuttack – a non-IPL franchisee city – as an alternative venue, had been at loggerheads over the disparities in pricing of tickets for the May 1 match.

There was public resentment after the cost of gallery No. 3 tickets was hiked from Rs 400 to Rs 600, which the association said to be a violation of the agreement signed with Deccan Chargers for hosting two matches at Barabati. The stadium’s seating capacity is 45,000 and the galleries are most sought after by common spectators.

“According to the accord, ticket price for both the matches at Barabati was fixed and we had announced that the rates for the second match would be reduced to Rs 300 to attract a bigger crowd,” said Behera. He said the rise in ticket rates had hurt the sentiments of cricket fans across the state.

Last evening, Behera shot off an e-mail to the Deccan Chargers officials, who finally agreed to refund the money to the spectators. Cricket fans are jubilant over the news. “The decision to reduce ticket prices has come as a pleasant surprise, especially since we have a perception that IPL is all about stakeholders minting money. This goodwill gesture on the Chargers’ part will earn them great respect,” said college student Amitabh Moharana.

However, tickets for the gallery No. 3 would be reserved for the official sponsors of the Deccan Chargers team, officials of the association said.

Sources said the Chargers had hiked the gallery ticket prices, keeping in view the overwhelming response for the IPL matches in Odisha.

Further, the cost of corporate boxes, new and old pavilion, clubhouse tickets had been cut down considerably as the stakeholders believed that the second match would not generate a good response from cricket fans.

In the last match between Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders, over 80 per cent tickets were sold. The price of tickets for new pavilion and clubhouse, which were earlier sold for Rs 1,500, has been priced at Rs 1,000 for the upcoming match.