India vs Pakistan Asia Cup tickets remain unsold; premium seats cost over Rs 2.5 lakh!

NEW DELHI: Dubai is buzzing with anticipation ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, but one surprising detail has left fans and experts stunned. With handful of days to go for the blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash on September 14, tickets for the high-voltage contest are still available — although some prices have gone as high up as Rs 2.5 lakh for just two seats!An Emirates Cricket official speculated that the low sales might be due to the absence of stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from the shortest format last year."We are surprised that flow of sales for India vs Pakistan is much low, till the time we sold out with lower stands only but the upper and top tear stands are still on sale, in the Champions Trophy for the same match we had sale on two times in a single day like we opened ticket window 2pm and 4pm and we were sold out that time in just less then 4 minutes, but this time craze is very dull, it might be it's because of absence of Rohit and Virat," said an official from Emirates Cricket to news agency ANI.The stage was set on Tuesday in Dubai for the official captains’ press conference. Organisers carefully arranged seating, keeping India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha apart, with Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan seated in between. The move avoided direct proximity of the two arch-rival leaders and maintained a composed atmosphere ahead of what remains cricket’s fiercest rivalry.While India open their campaign against hosts UAE on September 10, the marquee showdown against Pakistan four days later has long been the talk of the tournament. Traditionally, tickets for this fixture are snapped up within hours. But this year, the combination of eye-watering prices and packaged sales appears to have slowed demand.On the ticketing portals (viagogo and platinumlist), a pair of seats in the VIP Suites East is listed at a staggering Rs 257,815. The package includes aisle seating, unlimited food and drinks, a parking pass, VIP club/lounge access, and private entrance and restrooms. The Royal Box comes at Rs 230,700 for two, while the Sky Box East is priced at Rs 167,851. Even mid-tier categories remain costly — Platinum at Rs 75,659, Grand Lounge at Rs 41,153, Pavilion West at Rs 28,174 — while the most affordable, General East, still costs nearly Rs 10,000 for two.The fact that premium tickets remain unsold is a rare sight for an India-Pakistan contest, traditionally regarded as the hottest ticket in world cricket. “Aggression (is) always there on field and you can’t do without aggression if you want to win,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav declared, signalling his team will bring intensity to the clash. His counterpart Salman Agha struck a calmer tone, saying he leaves it to individuals to express themselves.India, eight-time champions and defending title-holders, will be looking to extend their dominance.