Despite the historic hype surrounding India-Pakistan cricket encounters, tickets for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 group-stage clash in Dubai remain unsold more than ten days after going on sale. The match, scheduled for September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, was expected to sell out rapidly, especially given the precedent of the Champions Trophy 2023 at the same venue, which saw all tickets snapped up in under four minutes. Yet, as of Thursday evening, tickets were still up for grabs.
Ticktes in nearly 50 percent of the stands at the Dubai stadium remained available as of 9 pm IST on Thursday. Prices for those available started from USD 99, with premium seats costing USD 4,534 (Rs 4 lakh approximatley).
Ticket sales began on 29 August through the official partner, Platinumlist. With the base price for group-stage matches of the Asia Cup set at USD 13, lower-priced stands were sold out for the India-Pakistan clash. A special package, which included seven matches with the marquee fixture, was also offered for approximately AED 14,000.
An Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) official expressed surprise at the tepid response, noting that tickets for the previous India-Pakistan Champions Trophy meeting in February had sold out in under four minutes. Another ECB official maintained that “bookings were encouraging” and dismissed concerns about slow sales. Yet, the reality of unsold seats more than 10 days after sales opened marks a stark departure from previous high-profile fixtures.
BOYCOTT CALLS PLAYING A ROLE?
Public sentiment in India appears to have played a significant role, with the fixture coming soon after the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Calls for a boycott have emerged from some Indian cricketers and pundits, and debate has intensified regarding whether the two nations should regularly face each other in multinational tournaments.
Former India captain Kapil Dev has called for calm and focus on cricket, stating: “Just go and win. Those whose job is to play should just focus on playing – there’s no need to say anything else. Don’t make this a big issue. The government will do its job, and the players should do theirs.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reaffirmed that it follows central government policy, engaging with Pakistan only in multinational events and not in bilateral series.
On the field, anticipation remains high despite the charged narrative in the lead-up to the marquee clash.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the Men in Blue are excited to face Pakistan in Sunday’s high-profile contest.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha, speaking at the captains’ meet on Tuesday, insisted the Men in Green would play with their natural flair against their arch-rivals.
“You don’t need to say anything to anyone. If anyone wants to be aggressive, they are more than welcome to do that. The fast bowlers, they always want to be aggressive, because that’s what keeps them going. From my side, there is no instruction to anyone as long as they keep it on the ground.”
India began their Asia Cup campaign with a comprehensive win over the UAE on Wednesday, while Pakistan are set to play Oman on Friday before facing India. India and Pakistan can meet each other as many as three times in the Asia Cup.
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