HASSAAN AHMED/ RANA HAIDER
LAHORE: Cricket lovers from all over the country returned home disappointed and empty-handed after not being able to get their hands on tickets for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final.
The hopeful spectators were left standing in queues for hours in front of different branches of the Bank of Punjab to no avail. Cricket fans from Peshawar, Swat, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Sahiwal, Multan, Narowal, Sialkot, Gujranwala and other areas of the country had rushed to Lahore in order to get tickets for PSL final and many of them had camped out in front of the banks. However the sheer number of people stunned the bank management and many hopefuls returned home with no luck.
Due to the intense passion and enthusiasm of the fans, Chairman PSL Najam Sethi has revealed that the PCB will be cutting their corporate commitments and putting more tickets on sale for the spectators. However the woes of fans wanting to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars in action did not end with the public complaining about over-priced tickets and corruption on the part of bank employees handling the sales.
Tickets also sold out online and many buyers came forward with complaints of being ripped off in the process. Talking to Pakistan Today, Ijaz Hussian said he bought four online tickets for 17 thousands and was told to collect his tickets from Pearl Continental hotel. “I came there to collect my tickets but they said there is no more seating capacity in the Gaddafi Stadium and therefore I will not be able to watch the game,” he elaborated. When attempting to inform the PCB of his woes, Hussain said he was asked to visit the office for reimbursement after 15 days because they were extremely occupied with work at that moment.
Nasir Khan, who came from Peshawar, said that the organizers sold very few tickets of 500 rupees and were effectively turning cricket into an upper-class game. “I came here all the way from Peshawar very excited about the the PSL final, but now I do not know what to do,” the diehard cricket lover said. Cricket used to be a game of poor people, he argued, but now it has been hijacked by the corporate sector.
Meanwhile, problem being faced by the PCB and the government is the sale of tickets on the black market. A resolution has even been submitted in the Punjab Assembly by a lawmaker demanding strict action against those minting money by selling the tickets at exorbitant prices. “Getting the PSL tickets has become an embarrassing experience for the people of Pakistan as policemen are baton-charging them and blackmailers are selling the ticket of 500 at a price of 4000 after striking deals with the bank staff,” Ch Amir Sultan Cheema, an MPA from Sargodha said in his resolution.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has even made arrests during a crackdown against people selling the much sought after tickets at ridiculously high prices.