Kolkata: With Cricket back to Eden Gardens after a two-year loophole and online tickets released with the cabin sold out in 15 minutes earlier this week, hundreds of fans ran around Maidan with despair asking – “Ticket Ticket Hobe’s chest?” India will play New Zealand in the third and last T20i of the bilateral series at Eden Gardens.
This will be the biggest sporting event in the city, with the audience standing since the pandemic begins.
Since March 2020, the city only witnessed a sporting event with the audience present when the Durand Cup final was played between Mohammedan SC and FC Goa in October.
The last time the cricket match was played with the audience in Eden in November 2019 when India played Bangladesh in their first pink daylight test.
“After a long time, Cricket finally returned to our city and I didn’t want to miss watching it from the stands.
I tried to watch any match in Eden Gardens but this time I couldn’t buy tickets online.
So, I tried to get somehow,” Mahipal Singh said (34), a businessman, who runs a ticket.
Entrepreneur Gaurav Ghosh, also among fans running around for tickets.
“I have called every friend and club official begging for tickets.
I am willing to pay something extra, but so far I have not been able to manage one,” Ghosh said, a resident of Jadavpur.
Bengal’s government has allowed the presence of a 70% audience on the ground considering a pandemic.
The total capacity of Eden is 68,000.
If operated in a 70% capacity range, there is room for 47,600.
“About 1,500 tickets online in the first lot were sold in 15 minutes Tuesday.
Each club has taken 30% of tickets booked and has all members of life and temporary members.
We will have a stadium packed,” said Srimanta Kumar Malkick, a person Taxi official.
Joy get proven tickets when the 34-year-old private company executive Arpan Mondal stands outside the stadium to collect tickets that he has ordered online.
“It will be a historic event and I can’t miss it at any cost.
Over the past few months, I have watched fans lived stadiums outside India and skipped being on the ground.
I am glad I will be the first.
In the city to be in the stadium again, “said Mondal.