World Cup 2023: Over 5,000 tickets go unused in India vs Australia at Chennai

Large portions of empty seats at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for England vs New Zealand in the World Cup opener and plenty more at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi for South Africa vs Sri Lanka, there were arguments that this is only the case because they’re non-India matches.

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The test for the organisers arrived on Sunday with India vs Chennai at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. In the beginning, at 1:30 PM, only a fraction of the crowd was in attendance at Chepauk. The middle and upper stands remained unoccupied as Pat Cummins won the toss and decided to bat.

As India arrived to bat and chase the 200 run total, more trickled in. By 3:30 PM IST, the stands were full and there were plenty of blue jerseys visible to the eye.

Despite the tough conditions laden with heat and humidity, the official attendance stood at approximately 33,000. The capacity for the stadium varies depending on the installations and work being done at the venue but it is identified as between 38,000-40,000. That left over 5,000 seats empty.

Read | Why an empty Narendra Modi Stadium shouldn’t come as a surprise

What is bizarre is that BookMyShow, the official ticketing partner, had declared the game as sold out. Absurdly, there are reports that BookMyShow opened the ticket sales again on Sunday morning which created a flutter on social media and last minute rush.

Putting the tickets back on sale is a common practice after they go unutilised by sponsors and concerned parties such as state and national associations. However, what is not common is for said tickets to be offered for sale on the day of the match itself.