Are fans paying Rs. 100,000 on the black market?

Colombo, Feb. 11 (Daily Mirror) - Tickets for the much-anticipated India–Pakistan encounter at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 which is scheduled to be played on Sunday, February 15, are being traded at prices as high as LKR 100,000 (approximately INR 28,000), the Daily Mirror learns.

The spike comes amid heightened fan interest across South Asia, with the fixture widely regarded as the tournament’s biggest draw.

An informed source pointed out that limited availability and intense demand have fuelled a secondary market pushing prices well beyond face value. Rumors have also been rife that tickets have been sold to those fans who have registered prior while a very limited tickets may be available on the ICC website this week. However, the ICC have been very vague on the ticket sales of Sunday’s India-Pakistan match.

Meanwhile, Indian media have reported that airfares between Mumbai and Colombo have jumped sharply following confirmation that India and Pakistan will face each other in the T20 World Cup match.

”Round-trip tickets now cost around Rs 60,000, an increase of nearly Rs 10,000 within minutes of the announcement, according to News 18. Online bookings showed Air India's Chandigarh-Colombo flights for February 15-16 priced at roughly Rs 63,000, while IndiGo fares ranged from Rs 70,000 to Rs 74,000. Fares from Delhi to Colombo were reported between Rs 40,000 and Rs 45,000,” reports indicate.

This heat follows the earlier decision of Pakistan to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India citing geopolitical ⁠tensions. However, Pakistan’s cricket team later agreed to play against its old rival upon the orders of its government.

“The government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan team to take the field on February 15, 2026, at the R. Premadasa International Stadium, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” the government said in a statement on Monday.

There have been intense talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC since Pakistan announced its decision to boycott the match against India. The Sri Lankan and Emirates boards have asked the PCB to reconsider its decision to boycott the match against India. BCB President Aminul Islam had also appealed to Pakistan to play the match against India.

Moreover, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also expressed its appreciation to Pakistan for reconsidering its decision regarding the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 following three days of diplomatic discussions between the two countries.

According to a report in the Indian Express, this decision helped the International Cricket Council (ICC) avoid a revenue loss of nearly $174 million.