Only purse, mobile phones allowed inside stadium: ACA secretary ahead of Ind-SA T20I clash in Guwahati

Ahead of the opening T20I game between India and South Africa here, Assam Cricket Association (ACA) secretary Devajit Saikia said that only purse and mobile phones will be allowed for the spectators to take inside the Barsapara Stadium during the cricket match.

“Other than mobile phones and purse no other item would be allowed inside the stadium,” Saikia told the media.

When asked if spectators can take play cards of fours and sixes he stressed, “No other item will be allowed.”

Talking about the crowd Saikia said, “We are expecting a full house. Out of about 38,000 seats, 21,200 were for the general public and the tickets were sold online in two phases. The tickets were sold out in no time.”

Another 12,000 tickets were made available for the public through the district associations, and those were sold over the counters. “Usually, 40-50 per cent of tickets sent to the districts return unsold. This time, hardly 100 tickets have come back to us,” Saikia said.

The rest of the tickets are sent to state associations and some are given as complimentary passes to special guests and invitees, he added.

The capacity of the ACA Stadium in Guwahati is 39,500, but 1,500 are “killed seats” as the view of the field is not available from there.

“The fact that the ticket sale was completely transparent ensured that genuine lovers of the game will get an opportunity to watch their favourite players in action. There is unprecedented enthusiasm among them,” Saikia claimed.

He said that since the last match hosted at the venue in January 2020 was washed out, the enthusiasm among the people is even more.

Crowd management, security and traffic arrangements are foolproof with all agencies working in coordination, he said. “The match day is in the middle of Durga Puja and additional arrangements have been made for all aspects,” he added. Saikia said a high-scoring match is expected and ACA is ready with additional entertainment for the crowd, besides the one on the field by the players.

“We have a crowd entertainment system in place. DJs will be playing and fireworks will be on display. It will run throughout the match. We are expecting a good game,” he said.