NBA game more expensive than an IPL match

This picture has been used for representation purpose

It was a sellout at the NSCI Dome on Saturday for the second match of the NBA India Games between Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers. It is learnt that all 3000 tickets that were up for sale on the official ticket vendor's website, sold out in a matter of minutes.

The official at the ticket sales counter at the NSCI Dome yesterday informed that no tickets were available and that he was there only to hand out tickets to those who had booked them online and brought along prints outs of the same.

The cheapest online tickets were Rs 4,500 and going up to Rs 25,000 with five more categories (Rs 6,000, Rs 7,000, Rs 8,000, Rs 18,000, Rs 20,000) in between. Compare this to the ticket rates for Indian Premier League matches at the Wankhede Stadium that range between R880 to R8,800, and you'd say that the NBA India Games are a pretty pricey affair.

Paisa vasool experience

"The Mumbai Indians IPL matches also provide freebies like a team flag, a scarf and some inflatable toys among other things, so that's totally paisa vasool," one spectator told mid-day when asked to compare the two experiences.

Even the NBA merchandise being sold at one of the stalls here seemed to be a bit expensive, informed another fan. "The kids t-shirts are for Rs 699 and men's t-shirts are between R799 and R999. But NBA t-shirts are available online for Rs 500. Also, the ball being sold here is for R950, while the same brand is available online for Rs 899.

'Unique stuff'

"It's just that the stuff here has NBA India Games branding and since it's the first ever NBA match in India, so that makes it unique," said another spectator who did not wish to be named.

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