Facing criticism over the recent fiasco over sale of tickets for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023, the BCCI on Wednesday announced the release of approximately an additional 400,000 tickets for the fans.

With the ODI World Cup returning to India after 12 years, the demand for tickets, especially for the matches featuring India, have naturally soared up, and many fans hoping to catch a glimpse of live on-field action have been left disappointed, with match tickets selling out within minutes.

Some fans also alleged that they were asked to wait for as much as 11 hours and later, the app also crashed for many users.

While the sale of tickets for all non-India warm-up matches and main round matches began on August 25, the tickets for these matches, such as Australia vs Netherlands, England vs Bangladesh, New Zealand vs South Africa, Pakistan vs Australia are still available with prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 per person, according to official ticketing partners BookMyShow.

The real interest, however, is in the India matches. BookMyShow shows sold-out windows for these matches at key venues such as Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, as well as smaller locations such as Dharamshala and Lucknow.

Considering the high demand for tickets, the BCCI on Wednesday announced in a statement, saying, “After discussions with the hosting state associations, the BCCI has announced the release of approximately 400,000 tickets for the highly anticipated tournament. This measure is aimed at accommodating as many passionate cricket fans as possible, ensuring their participation in this historic event.”

“Cricket enthusiasts from around the world can now secure their seats to witness the cricketing extravaganza of the year. Fans are encouraged to act promptly to secure their tickets, as tickets are expected to be in high demand, given the immense global interest in the event.”

“The general sale of tickets for all matches of the ICC men’s World Cup 2023 will commence from 8:00 PM IST onwards on September 8. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the official ticketing website at https://tickets.cricketworldcup.com. Fans will be notified of the further sale of tickets in the next phase in due course,” the statement further read.