The Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to complete its first four weeks with already several records being broken. Over 500 sixes have been scored while the top-three totals in IPL history has also been launched. There is another aspect which has seen some crazy numbers and that is the tickets pricing of the IPL 2024. According to a report in the Indian Express, the IPL ticket pricing may vary from Rs 499 to Rs 52938, depending on the seat, team, timing of purchase and venue.
The reports says that the cheapest tickets are those which are early-bird tickets for a team like Lucknow Super Giants. However, the ticket price went up to Rs 52,938, for the best seat in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's opening home game of IPL 2024, if one made a last minute booking.
The BCCI has left it to the franchises to decide ticket prices and there is huge demand for the tickets.
However, not all ticket prices are that high. It often depends on the venue and franchise. Like, RCB enjoys a loyal fan base and hence they see huge demand of tickets for home games. The rates for the costlier seats see a spike as the match day nears.
For the opening match, according to the Indian Express report, the fan terrace ticket price was increased from Rs 4,840 to Rs 6,292. For corporate stands, the ticket price went from Rs 42,350 to Rs 52,938.
The franchises have justified the ticket pricing. “When tickets are being sold in the black market for huge prices – which is of no use to us – we have to adjust it accordingly. So after the stadium facilities were upgraded, the price was adjusted as per the market demand. Moreover, for each ticket we pay 58 per cent tax (28% GST and 25% entertainment). So the returns are minimal for us,” Kasi Viswanathan, CEO of Chennai Super Kings, was quoted as saying in the report.
In Chennai, the cheapest ticket costs are of Rs 1,700 while the most expensive one are priced at Rs 6,000, the lowest among all teams.