Mumbai: The common man can take a walk seems to be the message from the Indian Board which has priced the tickets for the 2011 World Cup final at the Wankhede in the exorbitant range of Rs 10,000 to 15,000. The final is on April 2.

“The approach has been to keep pricing reasonable,” Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president and the ICC president-in-waiting, said at a news conference to announce the opening of ticket sales.

“For example, the lowest priced ticket in Sri Lanka is (USD) 20 cents,” he said.

What he didn’t say was that the tickets for the two league matches to be played at the Wankhede are nine-ten times higher than those at the other centres within India.

For instance, the tickets for the India vs England group match on February 28 at Eden Gardens range from Rs 1,250 to Rs 1,500. Similarly, the tickets for the India vs South Africa tie on March 12 in Nagpur are between Rs 300 to Rs 4,000.

On the other hand, the minimum ticket for the New Zealand vs Canada game at the Wankhede on March 12 costs Rs 2,500 and that of the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka clash on March 18 a whopping Rs 5,000.

It maybe noted that Pawar is the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, the body that owns the Wankhede.

The pricing scheme was decided by the individual state associations with the ICC giving its stamp of approval. The other curious aspect of World Cup ticketing is that once booked, the tickets cannot be cancelled. Five per cent of tickets for matches at all venues were open for online booking in the first lot of sales. Tickets can be bought across the counter seven days before the respective matches.

Pawar, who bought the first ticket for the tournament opener between India and Bangladesh at Dhaka to mark the opening of sales, did not take questions from the media.

Asked about the significantly high price of tickets at the Wankhede, an ICC spokesperson said: “It’s an international final and you must compare it with the prices at Wimbledon, the Fifa World Cup and the Super Bowl.”

Ratnakar Shetty, the World Cup tournament director as well as the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said that the Board was yet to sort out the issue of the Indian government giving single entry visas to foreigners.

“We have taken up the matter with the ministries of home affairs and external affairs. We are looking for a plan wherein those with valid match tickets do not have to face any problems,” Shetty said.

As per the new restrictions imposed by the Indian government, the visitors leaving the country are not to be issued visas for the next six months. As such, the rule might prevent fans from re-entering India once they cross over to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal announced that entry to the World Cup opening ceremony, to be held in Dhaka on February 17, would be free.