Indian fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Credit: Reuters Photo
India will face Australia in the finals of the 2023 ICC World Cup on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Several notable people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to be in attendance.
For an ordinary cricket lover wishing to witness the final game, however, Ahmedabad has proven to be quite an ordeal. After the schedule was announced, many have found prices of hotels to be off the charts.
Those who had begun making arrangements two months in advance - much before India progressed to the final - found hotel rooms costing anywhere between Rs 24,000 a night and Rs 2,15,000 a night.
Now, with the final match just days away, a basic hotel room may cost around Rs 10,000 a night, while prices of the better ones are almost Rs one lakh.
Snapshot of hotel prices in Ahmedabad around the time of the final, as seen on Make My Trip.
Snapshot ofhotel prices in Ahmedabad, as seen on the same dates but in December.
On Agoda a slider shows an immediate dip in prices on the dates after the match.
Credit: Agoda
A similar trend was seen ahead of the India vs Pakistan clash in Ahmedabad in October.
Travel platforms like MakeMyTrip and Agoda reportedly had a massive search for stays in Ahmedabad before the India-Pakistan group stage game and are seeing s similar surge now.
There has been a spike in air travel costs as well. Going by Google Flights data, an average flight from New Delhi to Ahmedabad is supposed to cost anywhere between Rs 9,200 and Rs 14,000. Prices currently start from around Rs 18,000 and go higher.
The final phase of match tickets that were available as of November 13 have been sold out.
The Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium with a capacity of about 1.3 lakh seats is likely to be packed for the finals. The city police officials said that they are chalking out plans for traffic and crowd management.
(With DHNS inputs)