COLOMBO: Khettarama Temple Road leading to R Premadasa Stadium was abuzz with activities since morning on Sunday. Entry of vehicles was banned as the stadium is scheduled to host the 2023 Asia Cup final between co-hosts Sri Lanka and India. With the match being sold out, the Sri Lanka Cricket advised ticket holders to arrive early to ensure hassle-free entry. "Ticket holders are advised to arrive early in order to avoid congestion. The gates at RPICS, Colombo, will be opened at 12 pm today for the public with tickets to enter the ground," said a SLC statement.
A huge posse of police was deployed in and around the stadium to maintain law and order. As spectators were rushing towards the venues, locals were urging them to deposit their belongings like helmets, bags, water bottles or even beer cans with them as those items are not allowed inside the stadium.
After all, the full house, probably for the first time during the continental tournament, has also given an opportunity to those residing in the vicinity to earn some quick bucks. "I have rented out this shop but today it is closed because of the match. So we decided to open it and turn it into a makeshift locker to keep people's belongings safely," Mohammad Ishaque told this daily. Most of the people were depositing their helmets and water bottles at Ishaque's shop. "We charge 100 LKR for each item. We couldn't do it in the past as previous matches were not sold out but today is the final between Sri Lanka and India, so we are expecting a good additional income today," he said.
Another shopkeeper, who runs a restaurant in the locality, has set up a small stall outside his permanent shop. He sells water bottles, cold drinks, and biryani packets. "This stall is only for today as it is very crowded due to the cricket match. We sell biryani on normal days and earn up to 20,000 LKR per day. Today, I think our income can be around 30,000 LKR," said Mohammad Insaaf. He also confirmed that they are depositing the personal belongings of the spectators. "We give them a token after depositing their belongings. Once they return, they have to show those tokens to get back their items," he added.
Empty stands in the previous matches made the original hosts, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), to reduce the prices for Super Four matches and the final. The tickets can either be purchased online visiting pcb.bookme.pk or counters - SLC Counter at Vidya Mawatha, Colombo and RPICS Counter (Gate Number 6).
The reduced prices coupled with Sri Lanka's entry into the final meant A, B, C and D stands - both upper and lower - were sold out like hotcakes. Around 100 tickets of Grand Stand were remaining till Saturday evening but even those were sold by Sunday morning, said a SLC official.