Cuttack: Though all offline tickets for the February 9 India-England One Day International (ODI) match have been sold out, enthusiastic cricket fans thronged the ticket counters at Barabati Stadium in Odisha’s Cuttack city on Thursday morning.
Long queues were seen in front of the counters since early morning though offline ticket sales officially closed on Wednesday after all the tickets were sold out. Enthusiastic fans were not ready to give up as they still hoped to get an opportunity to grab an opportunity to witness the match.
Massive demand for tickets showed the high anticipation for the India-England match. Moreover, the ODI is being held at the historic stadium after a long gap.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the stadium on Wednesday as thousands of cricket lovers crowded the stadium to purchase offline tickets from the counters. A stampede-like situation was created due to heavy crowding, putting immense pressure on the police and security personnel deployed at the venue.
The security personnel had a tough time managing the swelling crowd as desperate fans jostled for tickets. The commotion resulted in a challenging situation for security forces, who had to intervene to maintain order and prevent any untoward incidents.
Despite the completion of offline sales, many fans continue to flock to the stadium, hoping for a last-minute chance to secure entry into the much-anticipated ODI.
Those who have purchased tickets online can redeem them from February 7 to 9 at two locations: Cambridge School in Cuttack and KIIT University in Bhubaneswar. The redemption of online tickets will be done from 10 am to 4 pm on February 7 and 8, and from 7 am to 12 noon on February 9.
Both the teams are scheduled to arrive in Bhubaneswar on February 7 and stay at a luxury hotel in the capital city. The team members will travel to Barabati stadium for net practice on February 8.
