HYDERABAD: Even after IPL tickets were sold out in a jiffy online, the craze for tickets did not die down till the final IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings began at the RGI stadium in Uppal here on Sunday.
Even a few hours before the match started, at least six-to-seven touts were seen standing at different locations between the stadium metro station and different parking lots, selling tickets for more than twice the actual cost. The Rachakonda police caught 10 people selling tickets at four times the usual rate. The demand for tickets before the match was so high that RS 1,000 tickets were being sold in black for RS 5,000. Many fans without tickets were seen loitering around the stadium, even in the scorching heat at 2.30 pm, hoping to get a ticket to watch the match.
Speaking to Express, one of the touts, who went by the name Sravan, explained why he was selling tickets at the venue. “My friends did not turn up, so I have no use for these tickets,” he claimed. The youngster, dressed in peppy clothes, was selling a RS 5,000 ticket for RS 10,000. “I bought tickets from the Gymkhana Ground after standing in line for more than three hours,” said another tout, adding that online mobile wallets were used for most transactions. Interestingly, just as the game was about to begin, the prices fell sharply. A RS 1,000 ticket was being sold at RS 2,000.
The police, who caught some of the touts, questioned them about their transactions. “We caught 10 people trying to sell tickets in black. They were selling them at four times the usual rate. As many as 40 tickets were recovered from them,” an official from the Rachankonda police commissionerate told the media persons.
U Nishanth, a techie, said: “We tried so hard to buy tickets online. They always seem to get sold out within minutes, but people selling them in black still thrive.” Many fans who thronged the stadium were unaware of the security arrangements in place. One of the measures was not to allow anyone in with a bag.
Hence, many fans who came from out of the State had to shell out RS 100 to keep their bags with petty shopkeepers. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport management evidently did not made arrangements to keep bags or cameras, which were not allowed in the stadium. Paan shops seized the opportunity and charged RS 100 to keep a bag and RS 500 to keep a camera. It remains to be seen if those who gave their belongings get them back after match.