On Sunday, an official predicted a sold-out crowd for the T20 International match between South Africa and India in Guwahati. According to Assam Cricket Association (ACA) secretary Devajit Saikia, the transparent way the tickets were offered has further boosted the excitement among cricket enthusiasts. "We anticipate a packed house. There were around 38,000 seats in total, and 21,200 of them were for general admission. Tickets were offered online in two stages. In a flash, all of the tickets were gone, he claimed.
The district associations made an additional 12,000 tickets available to the general public and sold at counters.
"Typically, 40–50% of tickets delivered to the districts are returned unpaid. This time, hardly 100 tickets have returned to us," Saikia said.
He continued to provide the remaining tickets to state associations; some were distributed as free passes to distinguished invitees and visitors.
The ACA Stadium in Guwahati can hold 39,500 people, but 1,500 are "dead seats" since they can't see the pitch.
"Genuine fans of the game will have the chance to see their favorite players in action because the ticket sale was entirely transparent. Unprecedented excitement is present among them, "Saikia said.
He claimed that since the previous game held there in January 2020 was postponed, the crowd's enthusiasm has increased.
With all agencies collaborating, he says, crowd control, security, and traffic arrangements are impenetrable.
The match day falls during Durga Puja. Hence extra preparations have been done for every aspect, he continued.
According to Saikia, a high-scoring game is anticipated, and ACA is prepared to provide the spectators with excitement in addition to that provided by the players on the field.
"We have a strategy in place for entertaining the crowd. There will be DJs playing, along with fireworks. It will continue to play during the game. We anticipate a competitive match, "added.