Calcutta: Indian Premier League (IPL) fever is fast spreading among Calcuttans. With D-day approaching and the Kolkata Knight Riders’ players sweating it out under the watchful eyes of John Buchanan at the Eden, the demand for tickets has increased further.
The entire quota of tickets that went on sale for Sunday’s match was sold out within hours of the counters opening on Monday. It was the first day tickets were made available to the public.
Long queues snaked around the Eden from morning and several people were disappointed after counters downed shutters. With more people expected to show up on Tuesday, the police bandobast will also be enhanced.
A total of Rs 8 lakh worth of tickets were sold from the 18 counters during the day. Tickets worth Rs 110 and meant for the players were also made available to the public besides Rs 220, Rs 335 and Rs 665.
Tickets for the Knight Riders versus Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad) match will again be on sale from Tuesday.
“The demand has attained gigantic proportions. The sales on the net are also very encouraging. The way things are going we are expecting a full house on Sunday,” said a spokesman of Knight Riders Sport Pvt Ltd.
The CAB is also anticipating a boost in sales once Sourav Ganguly and Ishant Sharma start practising.
The former India captain returned to the city early on Monday morning. He stayed away from the Eden but enthusiastic fans had gathered around the stadium from early afternoon in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favourite Dada. Instead they had to be satisfied by cheering on the likes of Ricky Ponting and Brendon McCullum.
The Knight Riders’ captain is already focusing on his job at hand after a successful Test series. “I’ll get into Twenty20 mode once I practise for a couple of days,” Sourav said.
He did not foresee any problem in leading a team comprising stars from various countries. “It is, after all, the same game of cricket. Here also one plays with the bat and the ball…”
Sourav also played down Shoaib Akhtar’s absence. “Umar Gul is in our team. He will serve us well,” he said.
On Bengali New Year’s Day, he also hoped the coming year would turn out to be an even better one for him.
Sourav is expected to be present when the team plays a practice match on Tuesday. Ponting and McCullum will lead the two sides.
