With Bangladesh not featuring, the city’s enthusiasm for the World Cup has visibly waned, a trend reflected in disappointing ticket sales.
Had Bangladesh participated, Eden Gardens was scheduled to host three of their group-stage matches. However, Bangladesh’s late withdrawal has stripped the venue of much of its World Cup allure. While Scotland have stepped in as a replacement, local interest in their matches has remained minimal.
According to a report by Anandabazar, ticket sales for World Cup matches in Kolkata have been moving at a sluggish pace.
Offline ticket counters set up outside Mohammedan Sporting Club have seen little to no crowds, with only a handful of buyers at any given time, an unusual sight for the 65,000-capacity historic stadium.
The numbers underline the lack of enthusiasm. Fewer than 21,000 tickets have been sold across all matches so far. The West Indies vs Scotland fixture has sold just 2,917 tickets, while the Scotland vs Italy match has recorded an alarmingly low sale of only 348 tickets.
Other fixtures have fared little better, with 2,075 tickets sold for England vs Scotland, 4,970 for England vs Italy, and 1,248 for West Indies vs Italy. Combined ticket sales for Super Eight and semifinal matches stand at around 9,000.
Observers point to the absence of both host nation India and neighbouring Bangladesh from the Eden Gardens group-stage fixtures as the primary reason behind the poor turnout.
