IPL final tickets on the black market: 6 cases filed

Ahmedabad: Hours before the IPL 2026 final match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, Ahmedabad police launched a city-wide crackdown on ticket black marketeering, registering six cases and arresting several individuals allegedly caught selling match tickets at inflated prices.The action followed a prohibitory order issued by the city police commissioner banning unauthorised sale of tickets to the match. Police teams raided multiple locations in Chandkheda, Sabarmati, Naranpura areas and the Sabarmati Riverfront.One case was registered late Saturday night by Chandkheda police. A man was allegedly found near the Motera Metro station selling two tickets priced online at Rs 2,500 for Rs 20,000 a piece. In another case from Chandkheda, police intercepted a youth near New CG Road who allegedly intended to sell Rs 2,500 tickets for Rs 6,000 each.A case registered by Naranpura police in the early hours of Sunday involves three youths allegedly caught with 10 tickets to the final. Investigators said the tickets, actually priced Rs 2,500 each, were being offered for sale for around Rs 6,000 a piece. Police are probing the source from whom some of the tickets were obtained.At Sabarmati Riverfront, police booked an individual who was allegedly attempting to sell two Rs 2,500 tickets for rates ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 each. In a separate operation near the riverfront, officers seized five tickets that were allegedly being sold for Rs 6,000 a piece.In the six cases, police seized more than 20 tickets and booked the accused under the Gujarat Police Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for violating prohibitory orders and engaging in unauthorised ticket sales.Complimentary tickets on the black marketAhmedabad: In two of the six cases, tickets carrying the warning, 'Complimentary. Not For Sale’ were being sold on the black market. In one case, a man was allegedly caught with two complimentary tickets near a food outlet in the Sabarmati area. Investigators said he had purchased the passes from an unidentified person for Rs 2,000 and was trying to sell them for Rs 4,000 each.Police also seized complimentary tickets on sale during checks near the stadium precincts. Officers are now examining how the complimentary tickets entered the secondary market and if an organised syndicate was behind their circulation. Strict action will be taken against those found illegally selling or facilitating the sale of such passes, especially during high-profile sporting events where demand far exceeds supply, police have warned.