The much-awaited Cricket World Cup is just around the corner, and fans all over the world are eagerly anticipating to witness this thrilling tournament live. The World Cup not only brings excitement to the cricketing community but also captures the attention of sports enthusiasts worldwide.It brings fans from different nations and cultures which makes the atmosphere electric. Held every four years, this prestigious tournament brings together the best cricketing nations from all over the world to compete with each other. The tournament features a round-robin format, where all participating teams compete against each other and the top teams then advance to the knockout stage.

The Ticket Fiasco

Many Indian cricket fans are currently in the midst of a desperate search for tickets to see their favourite cricketers in action at the game’s pinnacle event, but only a handful have been able to purchase tickets from the official source. There have been consistently expressed disappointment among cricket fans who have consistently complained about the platform and the entire process. As the ticket window was opened on the official website BookMyShow, within a minute tickets were sold out, with some reporting the ‘sold out’ sign displayed almost immediately after tickets went on sale, people were placed in queues with four-month waiting times, while many waited for hours.

Due to the high demand, BCCI has announced the release of another 400,000 tickets. This move aims to cater for the high demand from cricket enthusiasts and ensure wider access to the matches. But to our surprise as soon as the ticket window opened on 8th September the tickets were sold in a minute or so, and fans were kept on the waiting list. Some fans expressed their disappointment in various social media platforms, which led to the criticism of BCCI and BookMyShow for improper management of tickets. The ticket booking process for league matches was difficult for many cricket fans when they went on sale. BookMyShow’s website was not responding to users’ queries as they had to play the waiting game which created a lot of confusion among the fans. However, what followed was total Chaos. In just a matter of minutes, tickets for matches like India vs Australia and India vs Bangladesh were sold out, leaving fans shocked. Almost all the India match tickets were sold out in a minute’s time. If this was not enough, tickets for the India vs Pakistan match, however, angered the fans even more, because people were unable to purchase tickets after the sale window opened for more than 40 minutes.

The BCCI said they are closely monitoring the situation and working diligently to ensure a smooth ticketing process for fans. The BCCI has also been working in collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure a transparent and efficient ticketing process. Stringent measures have been put in place to prevent any unauthorised sale or distribution of tickets, ensuring that genuine fans have a fair chance of securing their seats.

Surge in Hotel price

As the Cricket World Cup is hosted by India, the hospitality industry is expecting a lot of foreign nationals, NRIs and our countrymen visiting the match hosting cities to secure their stays, the demand for accommodation rises exponentially. In particular, cities which are hosting India’s match, there is a noticeable surge in hotel prices. The World Cup venues are strategically located in major cities, attracting a large number of tourists. Hotels situated near these venues charge a premium due to their proximity to the cricket action. Because India matches draw a massive crowd, the prices of hotels in these locations experience a substantial hike.

Several cricket enthusiasts plan to travel to designated cities for India matches, as a result of uncontrollable demand people are forced to pay outrageous prices for their stays. Especially in Ahmedabad, which is hosting the most awaited match of the World Cup, India vs Pakistan on 14th October at the Narendra Modi Stadium. According to sources, the hotel prices shot up from 3000 to 30000 for 3-star hotels and 25000 to 200,000 for 4 stars and 5 stars approximately.

In recent weeks, most of the online travel agencies, such as MakeMyTrip, Agoda, Booking.com, OYO, etc., have experienced more than 1000% increase in searches. There has been tenfold in inquiries for hotels as well, Ahmedabad is experiencing the highest demand for hotel and homestay bookings during India matches, followed by Chennai, and Dharamshala. As the tournament approaches the demand is expected to grow further.

Alternative Accommodation

The sudden influx of cricket fans created an imbalance between supply and demand. Because the available number of hotels is fixed the demand increases significantly, resulting in higher prices. The Hoteliers are taking advantage of this situation to maximise their profits. Many visitors are worried about the high cost of their trip. Travellers who originally budgeted for a comfortable stay, now have limited options to choose from. The local residents of Ahmedabad may consider renting out their spare rooms to visiting fans in order to accommodate them. In another recent report, fans are booking hospital beds in Ahmedabad instead of hotels as the hotel prices have already shot up for the India vs Pakistan match. Desperate times need desperate measures. Reportedly, the city hospitals are getting a lot of inquiries for Full body checks on the match day. For a full body checkup, the hospitals provide a night stay along with the medical facilities. For fans, this is a far better deal than the hotels.