PCA upbeat over tickets' sale for Challenger Series

INDERJIT Singh Bindra was the man who first brought money into the Indian cricket during his days as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president in mid-1990s. The astute cricket administrator is back again - this time with a challenge to market the NKP Salve Challenger Series starting from October 10 at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali.

Bindra has already achieved success to a great extent by roping in Vijay Mallaya's Kingfisher Airlines as the title sponsors. Also the Challenger Series will also be telecast outside India for the first time. Even other PCA officials are upbeat at making good profit by staging the prestigious tournament, which would serve as selection test for the one-day international series against Sri Lanka.

PCA officials have taken the bold step of levying tickets for the matches to be played under floodlights. They claim to have sold major part of the tickets so far.

The tickets for various stands are valid for all four matches. The rates vary for different blocks (see box).

"We have received nearly 75 per cent of the amount to be collected through sale of tickets, even though the tickets are much cheaper," said the PCA treasurer G.S. Walia.

Even all the corporate boxes have been sold out - another first in domestic cricket. Each box in PCA Stands with a capacity of 24 persons has been sold at Rs one lakh.

The tickets for the Challenger Series have been sold from October 1 at select ICICI Bank outlets in S.A.S. Nagar and Chandigarh besides the counters at PCA Complex in Phase IX. By their own admission PCA officials stated the response for tickets at ICICI outlets has not been that good. "Most of the tickets till date have been sold from PCA counters," said Walia.