India vs Australia 2017: Chepauk ODI ticket price raised by 53%

What's the story?

A combination of 28% GST and 25% municipality tax will lead to a steep 53% rise in the ODI ticket costs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The first one-day international between India and Australia will be the first match under this new system of taxation.

“We all know about the 28 % GST. However, prior to this, we didn't charge the public for Municipality tax for ODIs and Tests. We added it only during IPL and Champions League T20 matches. After the new regulations, we have to include it for Tests and ODIs as well. We have no option,“ a top TNCA official said to Times of India.

The last ODI game played at Chepauk was India vs South Africa 2015, where the ticket prices ranged around Rs. 750. Now, with the new system in place, the cost might rise as high as Rs. 1200 per ticket.

"On one side, if we slash the price then TNCA will have to bear a loss. We know how tough the price surge would be for fans. We have come up with a few options regarding ticket prices. We will discuss that in our EC meet on August 25 and then take a call," the TNCA official added.

In case you didn't know...

GST, or the Goods and Services Tax, is the newest implementation of the Indian taxation system, which came into effect on 1st July, 2017.

The costs for all entertainment avenues, including cricket matches, has increased after the implementation of the tax. The tickets for five matches in the India-Australia series will be at least 28 percent costlier pertaining to the same.

The details

India will play a 5-match ODI series against Steve Smith's men

The TNCA official stated that the association will definitely add the details of both the taxes o the print tickets to ensure that there is no ambiguity.

He also added that ODI cricket will be coming back to Chennai next month after two years in September. He hopes that people will come out in large numbers in spite of the surge in ticket prices after the long wait for international limited-overs cricket.

What's next?

The last time India hosted an ODI series was back in Jaunary this year, when England traveled to the subcontinent for a full-fledged tour.

It has been quite some time since that series and Indian fans would be excited to witness limited overs cricket in their homegrounds once again. A couple of new venues have also been added to the mix, thereby increasing the anticipation for the Australia series.

The cost of the tickets might have increased substantially, more so in Chennai, but it would not have a substantial effect on the fans that coming for the matches.

Author's take

No matter what the tournament is and who plays in it, everyone has to go by the rules and policies put forth by the national government. Everything else can be adjusted after abiding by these rules and cricket associations can always newer ways of cutting the additional costs on their tickets.

As far as the India-Australia series goes, one would hope that the fans show up to the stadiums to support extend a full-fledged support for their team. The ICC World Cup 2019 is not too far away, and the Indian team would need every bit of encouragement that it can receive from its fans in its build up to the big tournament.