CHENNAI: Beer, hard liquor, AC hospitality and free jerseys are some of the perks available for fans who are willing to shell out five-digit sums to watch Indian Premier League (IPL) games in the flesh this season.
Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are yet to officially start ticket sales while Delhi Capitals will put their tickets on general sale on Friday. Each of the other seven franchises have commenced ticket sales on a phased manner. According to the data accessed by the daily, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will be the two venues with the least expensive tickets (`499). The 1,00,000 lakh plus Narendra Modi Stadium has ticket sales beginning at `499 for the match against Punjab Kings on March 25.
On the other end of the spectrum, one of the costliest tickets, at least at the time of going to press, is for the game between Rajasthan and Chennai in Guwahati on March 30. The priciest ticket will set you back at least `35000. In return, you will be treated to 'open air seating, 5-star hospitality with AC Dining'.
Premier League-style ticket pricing?
Interestingly, Rajasthan, who play two 'home' fixtures in Guwahati before they go to Jaipur, may have taken a leaf out of several Premier League sides apropos ticket-pricing strategies. Whenever the likes of Liverpool or Manchester United come to town, clubs are known to mark up ticket rates because of the visitors being a premium side (they are officially called as 'Category A').
If Chennai's fans have to shell out well in excess of `30000 to watch their team (or just over `4300 for the cheapest tickets), Kolkata Knight Riders' fans won't have any such issues. They may be the defending champions but for their visit of Guwahati, scheduled for March 26, one ticket can be had for `2200, while the most expensive is set at `20000.
Free jersey for a pair of tickets
Sunrisers Hyderabad, whose fans could again be in for a batting treat courtesy the likes of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, are one of the very few franchises to offer both beer and hard liquor as part of the package in the premium hospitality seats.
As long as fans are willing to part with `30000, they will get 'food, beer and hard liquor'. They are also in line to get a free jersey as long as they buy two tickets. The second most expensive tickets — `22000 — will not be eligible for hard liquor but the other perks will be part of the deal.
Mumbai vs Chennai match already sold out
According to available data, Mumbai Indians will be the only other franchise to hand out free t-shirts for pricy tickets but there's a catch. It's only applicable as part of the exclusive fanzones in place at the Wankhede Stadium (part of the Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar stands). As of this moment, the marquee MI vs CSK clash, scheduled for April 20, is already sold out but there are tickets for each of the other five games (on viagogo, a reselling website, a `20000 ticket can be had for `3,19,447 a pop.
Comparing ticket prices with last year, it's more or less the same. RCB, who unveiled a dynamic pricing model which helped ticket rates breach the `50000 barrier in 2024, could yet set new records.