Dubai: India-Pakistan cricket match tickets listed by resellers for up to Dh5,500; warning issued

With the first batch of India-Pakistan cricket match tickets getting sold out in under three hours on Monday, some people are trying to make a quick buck by reselling them. Asia Cup’s highly-anticipated game between the sporting rivals will be played on August 28 in Dubai.

A quick search on classifieds website Dubizzle shows tickets to the coveted match being advertised for as high as Dh5,500 for a hospitality lounge experience. Actual rates under the ‘Hospitality’ category begin from Dh2,500. General entry tickets, which cost Dh250, have been listed on Dubizzle for Dh700.

Asia Cup’s ticketing partner Platinum List has warned that tickets from resellers are “automatically cancelled”. Reselling tickets is illegal according to government regulations, the platform says on its website.

“Customers are advised not to purchase Platinumlist-branded tickets resold through so-called secondary ticketing websites or online selling sites as it is possible the ticket may not be valid for entry or will be cancelled.”

The ticketing platform said customers may be required to provide photo ID proof at the point of entry to the event. Users said they had to submit their “full name with proof” while booking the tickets.

“If more than one ticket is purchased by the customer for the same event, then (they should) enter … at the same time,” Platinum List says.

ALSO READ:

• UAE: Asia Cup ticket sales begin; how to buy passes online

• UAE: First batch of India-Pakistan cricket match tickets sold out

Yesterday, one user posted on the Twitter page of Platinum List that he had four tickets that he was willing to sell “for a little more than the original price”. The ticketing platform immediately replied to him, saying “reselling tickets is strictly prohibited” and that they would be “invalid upon entry”.

Thousands of fans across the UAE waited in vain for nearly three hours online to get a ticket to the India-Pakistan match.

Organisers will release the next batch of tickets to the match soon, Platinum List said. "(Tickets for) all other matches remain on sale," the ticketing platform said.

Due to an “extremely high demand”, Platinum List set up a first come, first served purchase policy and created separate links for matches in Dubai and Sharjah. This meant fans had to get in an online queue, depending on when they logged in.

The Asia Cup, which was originally to be held in Sri Lanka, will be played from August 27 to September 11.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had announced that the tickets would go on sale on Monday. The council did not specify a time, resulting in scores of residents queuing up on the website from early morning.

• Dubai