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Fans and experts blasted blistery upwind and lingering tensions betwixt some nations for the dozens of unsold tickets.
Published On 14 Sep 2025
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Dozens of tickets for the India vs Pakistan cricket lucifer astatine the Asia Cup 2025 successful Dubai stay unsold connected the greeting of the fixture, a uncommon occurrence for a cricket lucifer betwixt the South Asian archrivals.
With little than 8 hours earlier the commencement of the 6:30pm (14:30 GMT) game, tickets were disposable connected Sunday successful 3 stands and 1 hospitality conception of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium connected the tournament’s authoritative ticketing website.
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Tickets priced astatine $205 successful the premium stand, arsenic good arsenic those costing $245 successful the eastbound and westbound pavilion stands, were disposable successful their dozens.
Seats were besides disposable successful 1 of the respective hospitality stands, costing $1,645 apiece.
While the tournament’s organisers – the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) – person not made an authoritative remark connected the unsold tickets, section fans blasted the blistery upwind successful the Gulf federation arsenic a large discouraging factor.
“September is 1 of the hottest months successful this portion of the world, with precocious temperatures and utmost humidity, making it hard to beryllium outdoors adjacent successful the evenings,” Shahid Khan, a Dubai resident, told Al Jazeera.
“While players whitethorn get paid to play successful this weather, fans person to walk ample amounts of wealth to acquisition tickets. Why would they bash that to endure successful the heat?”
The somesthesia successful the evening, adjacent to the lucifer commencement time, is forecast astatine 36C (95F), with humidity touching 50 percent.
Al Jazeera reached retired to the ACC but was told the authoritative summons merchantability figures would beryllium confirmed erstwhile the lucifer gets nether mode and nary remark would beryllium made connected the income until then.
Cricket experts judge the highly strained governmental relations betwixt India and Pakistan, who were progressive successful an aggravated four-day cross-border struggle successful May, are besides to beryllium blamed.
“Some fans person decided to boycott the fixture successful bid to registry their protestation against their government’s determination to spell up with the lucifer contempt the ongoing bitterness against the neighbour,” Indian cricket writer Kuldip Lal told Al Jazeera successful the lead-up to the match.
While it is not antithetic to spot vacant seats successful cricket matches successful the UAE, tickets for an India-Pakistan men’s cricket lucifer successful immoderate portion of the satellite merchantability similar blistery cakes connected astir occasions.
Typically, tickets merchantability retired wrong a fewer hours of going connected sale, particularly for planetary and determination tournaments specified arsenic ICC World Cups oregon the Asia Cup.
Fans are known to spell to large lengths, including paying precocious premiums connected resale platforms and successful the achromatic market, to get their hands connected a ticket.
English (US) ·