Barabati T20 ticket sale at counters begins amid heavy rush of cricket fans

Cuttack: The offline sale of tickets for the India-South Africa T20 match at Barabati Stadium in Odisha's Cuttack began today amid an overwhelming rush of cricket fans. Though the counters were scheduled to open at 9 am, the sale started an hour later at 10 am, leading to anxiousness among spectators who had been waiting in long queues since the previous night.

Huge crowds were seen outside the stadium from Thursday night, with fans from Odisha and neighbouring states gathering to secure their seats for the December 9 match. Despite the cold, the crowd continued to grow through the night while waiting for the barricades to open.

For the police, the situation became difficult to manage even before the start of ticket sales. A special counter has been set up exclusively for women.

Ticket Counter Arrangements

• Counter No. 1 (Near Horse Gate): High-value tickets
• Counters No. 2 and 3 (Near Sachin Tendulkar Indoor Hall): General tickets

Ticket sale dates and timings

• Dates: December 5 and 6, 2025.
• Timings: 9 am to 6 pm.
• Limit: One person can buy up to two tickets by producing a valid ID.

Ticket Prices (All rates inclusive of GST)

Special arrangements to streamline crowd movement

To streamline crowd movement, a redesigned layout has been introduced outside the counters. Iron barricades have been arranged in a serpentine pattern to manage long queues and avoid confusion. Separate entry and exit paths have been created near the Cricket Academy to maintain smoother flow.

Police have deployed personnel in plain clothes around the stadium to check black-marketing. CCTV surveillance has also been enhanced to track crowd behaviour and assist enforcement teams. Officials said strict action will be taken against anyone caught attempting illegal resale or disrupting the sale process.