The T20 World Cup will be played in New York (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty … [+]
Let’s start with the bad news. There are no additional tickets released for the blockbuster India and Pakistan T20 World Cup contest in New York on June 9.
Resale tickets are fetching up to $4000 on Stub Hub for the hottest ticket of the tournament. Tickets originally cost $145-$400, but was oversubscribed more than 200 times the allocation in the public ballot.
The good news? There will be plenty of opportunities to watch title favourites India, who are the undisputed powerhouse on-and-off the field. Additional tickets have been released for India’s New York matches against Ireland and the U.S. There are also tickets available for India’s clash with Canada in Lauderhill, Florida, in their only group match outside of New York.
Premium tickets for India’s New York matches cost $300, with the most expensive hospitality seat at $7500. India’s match against Canada on June 15 in Florida is slightly cheaper with tickets available from $150.
Tickets have been announced for a practice match between India and Bangladesh in what will be the unveiling of the modular cricket stadium in Long Island, which costs around $30 million as I recently reported.
A standard ticket costs $150 and premium jumps to $175. Hospitality tickets cost up to $750 for a clash that will be beamed back into India underlining the team’s enormous interest.
This will be India’s only tune-up, with mainy of their players having to quickly back up from the Indian Premier League highlighting cricket’s cramped schedule, while some other countries elected not to bother with warm-up matches.
India’s matches will start at 10.30am local time, so they can be beamed back in prime time in cricket-mad India, who are desperate for their heroes to end a baffling 11-year title drought at major cricket events.
There is always enormous interest when India takes the cricket field (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty … [+]
It will be cheaper to watch matches that don’t involve India. The tournament’s opener, played on the same day as India’s practice game, between the U.S. and Canada – cricket’s oldest rivalry – in Dallas will cost $125 for a standard ticket after the original batch of tickets had started at $40.
The first World Cup fixture in New York on June 3 between Sri Lanka and South Africa starts at $125.
There have been some complaints on social media over the prices, but the high demand has shown that it has not deterred many from forking out. Tournament officials are hoping the cost of the 34,000-seat New York stadium will be comfortably recouped through ticketing and hospitality.
For those who can’t get their hands on a ticket, the Oculus World Trade Center will have a fan park which will show 18 T20 World Cup matches, including the final on June 29.
There will be similar setups at Epic Central in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Broward County Stadium in Florida.
Central Broward Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has hosted international cricket (Photo by RANDY … [+]
“The parks will see live entertainment including DJs, as well as food and drink outlets, cricket ambassadors and family activities, making it an experience not to be missed for fans across the globe,” the ICC said in a statement.
The T20 World Cup is hoped to build momentum in a pivotal second season for Major League Cricket, America’s lucrative professional cricket tournament.
The MLC’s debut season exceeded financial targets with revenues of $8 million, as I first reported. The six-team MLC will run from July 5-28.