Muttiah Muralitharan criticizes PCB for expensive tickets that lead to empty seats in the Asia Cup 2023
The India versus Pakistan match, which was held in Sri Lanka, has been played in front of near-empty stadiums. Former team Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan believes the PCB is to blame for this fiasco due to the high ticket prices set by the board, which is the official host for the continental tournament.
Muralitharan, in an exclusive conversation, said, "It is the PCB who has decided the prices for these tickets as they are hosting the Asia Cup this year. Sri Lanka is currently going through a financial crisis. The ticket prices are really expensive, and they were reduced at the last moment (just before the India vs. Pakistan match in Colombo), but it doesn’t work that way. The ticket prices start at Sri Lankan rupees 6,000 and upwards. If you want to watch the match from the grandstands, it is 40000 to 50000 Sri Lankan rupees, which is equivalent to a person’s monthly salary. I don’t think anyone can afford that much money in Sri Lanka."
The two teams were met with empty stadiums when they faced each other in the Super Four of the 2023 Asia Cup on Sunday, September 10. To fill the empty stands, Sri Lanka Cricket shared that the revised ticket prices had been reduced to Rs 500 and Rs 1000 at the last minute, but that too didn’t attract many.