IPL 2016: Low crowd turnout a worry for organisers

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is nearly through its first week of action, however, instead of jam-packed stands, the cricketing carnival has been given a cold welcome by the cricket crazy nation with relatively empty stands across the country.

The IPL started just five days after the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup which was also held in India, and this is seen as a reason for the low crowd turnout.

The World T20 effect

IPL governing council member and chief of the Punjab Cricket Association MP Pandove said, “At most centres, there were World Cup matches before the IPL. People will take time to recharge. After all, it is entertainment. As the tournament progresses, interest will pick up.”

While the cricketing extravaganza is going through a tough time, the World T20 evoked a tremendous response. People even went to watch the warm-up matches.

Mumbai Cricket Association treasurer, Nitin Dalal, who was in charge of ticketing at the Wankhede during the World T20, said, “The costliest ticket for the India-South Africa warm-up tie was R500. Still we got a gate collection of Rs 45 lakh. It was a full house.”

The BCCI was hoping for a similar response to the 2011 edition of IPL, which started just after the conclusion of the World Cup. However, the situation is different from that of 2011. India won the World Cup in 2011 but failed in the semi-finals in this year’s tournament.

However, the Wankhede was packed on Saturday for Mumbai’s match against Gujarat. The average attendance usually increases during the weekend across the country.

The pricing of the IPL tickets

The pricing of the tickets has had a major effect on the attendance during the IPL matches. Karnataka State Cricket Association vice-president Sanjay Desai, who also runs Cinema Theatres stated, “That is what I can correlate being from the entertainment industry, apart from cricket,”

He further added, “The lower denomination stands, from Rs 800-1500 are full. For the high-priced seats, the sale has been slightly slow. They will have to reassess pricing.”

Chandigarh-based former India player and former India selector Bhupinder Singh also pointed out the pricing issue by stating, “People have limited budget, they can’t afford to buy tickets every fifth or sixth day. Maybe the IPL has been overshadowed. Everyone enjoyed the World Cup and people need a break.”