Kolkata Police, CAB at loggerheads over ‘glitches’ in ticket sales for India-SA tie

KOLKATA: Kolkata Police and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) are at loggerheads over the allegations of black-marketing of ticket sales for the upcoming World Cup match between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.

Several cricket enthusiasts have complained of failing to get a ticket to the stadium which has a sitting capacity of over 67,000. According to sources, many assembled near the ticket counter (near a football stadium) but their efforts went in vain as tickets were unavailable.

Probing the allegations, the Kolkata police said they are unsatisfied with the reply by the CAB and bookmyshow.com—the online platform to buy e-tickets—over alleged black-marketing and unavailability of tickets and have asked them to send their representatives for questioning.

“We have received cryptic responses. But we need to know the exact nature of ticket booking. Once we get a clear idea from the CAB and bookmyshow, we will ask BCCI officials to come,” said Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal.

Over black-marketing, the police comissioner said, “We are keeping a close watch over it. Seven persons have been arrested and 55 tickets have been seized. We are also in the process of finding who these tickets had been sold to.”

Sourav Ganguly, former Indian team skipper and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has suggested that police can take control of ticket sales.“Nobody has control over ticket sales. Once the tickets are out of the BCCI office or Eden Gardens, there is no control over the tickets or the people who purchase them. The capacity of the stadium is only 67,000 and the demand for the ticket is very high,” Ganguly told reporters on Thursday.  Snehasish Ganguly, brother of Sourav Ganguly, is the acting CAB president.

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