The average hotel tariffs in Ahmedabad have reportedly shot up nearly 15 times in the wake of the India-Pakistan World Cup 2023 clash to be played in the city.
The marquee clash of the ICC event will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14. The match was originally scheduled to be played on October 15 but was among the nine games that were rescheduled when the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the revised schedule.
The rescheduling of World Cup 2023 matches has put fans who had booked their accommodation as per the originally announced schedule in a tight spot. Now, as per a report in ESPNcricinfo, average hotel tariffs in Ahmedabad are 15 times higher than usual.
“A hotel that charges ₹4000 a night on average is going at upwards of ₹60,000 a night on twin-sharing basis on booking.com,” the report stated.
The report further added that fans looking for star hotels will have to spend humongous sums as stay packages are as high as ₹50,000 for two nights. That’s not all, they might face further booking hassles as BCCI too has booked accommodation for its sponsors and affiliate partner.
Apart from the India vs Pakistan World Cup match, India’s last league game against the Netherlands at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has also been moved from November 11 to November 12.
Collecting physical tickets could prove another hassle for World Cup fans
Booking hotels at exorbitant prices is not the only worry for cricket fans ahead of the India-Pakistan mega clash in Ahmedabad. They will also have to purchase physical tickets as BCCI has made it clear that e-tickets will not be eligible for entry into stadiums.
As per ICC’s official update, tickets for India’s matches in Ahmedabad will go up for sale on September 3. BCCI has also stated that physical tickets will need to be collected at outlets across the city a day before the match. So cricket fans will need to find ways to manage both hotel accommodation and physical ticket collection.
It may be recalled that fans were forced to stand in long queues to collect tickets ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final earlier this year, which was also played at the Narendra Modi Stadium. A video of utter chaos at the stadium in Ahmedabad ahead of the mega clash went viral on social media.