Stressing that the distribution of tickets would take place as per the previous policy, former Indian cricketer and president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Sourav Ganguly said that the second T20I between India and the West Indies would be played at the Eden Gardens on November 4.
“The match is on. Tickets have already gone for printing and now nothing can be done. It will stay as it is,” Ganguly said, as quoted by PTI.
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The newly registered constitution of the BCCI states that 90 per cent of the tickets of the total capacity of a stadium has to be put up for sale for the public while the remaining 10 per cent would be distributed as complimentary passes.
The second ODI between the two teams was supposed to be held at the Holkar Stadium in Indore but the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association refused to host the match because of the uncertainty prevailing over the distribution of complimentary tickets.
Opining that the MPCA have been correct in their stand, the former Indian opener offered no compromise as he said, “I completely understand the problems faced by MPCA and I’m totally with them, because the practical problems are never understood. Their claim is completely legitimate.”
Out of the 67,000 capacity at the Eden Gardens, 30,000 tickets have to be distributed to government agencies like the Corporation, the Fire Brigade and the Kolkata Police.
“I cannot go and ask the government agencies, bureaucrats — people who make the match happen — to collect tickets and pay. If they want (to take the game away), they can. But we are not going to compromise,” he added.
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