Kings rule box office

CHANDIGARH: High after India's World Cup victory, it seems cricket fans from Tricity do not want to miss a chance to see the players in action.
Keen on cheering home team Kings-XI Punjab (KXIP) as it takes on Chennai Super Kings at PCA Stadium on Wednesday, lovers of the game are making sure they're present where the action is. Officials said around 80 per cent tickets already having been bought despite the loss of KXIP to Pune Warriors on Sunday and also the fact that local lad Yuvraj Singh, who was the toast of World Cup, is no longer playing for the Punjab team.
Around 10,000 tickets priced between Rs 300 and Rs 2,000 have been sold and only those for Rs 650, Rs 3,500 and Rs 12,000 (hospitality box) are now available.
The PCA stadium, which has a seating capacity of 28,000, is expected to witness a huge rush on Wednesday. Officials managing the sales say rush at the six counters would swell on Tuesday. Tickets for matches scheduled for April 21, May 8 and 10 are also available.
''We are getting a good response from Chandigarh. The craze for tickets is especially high among students. The last match at PCA was the World Cup semi-final clash between India and Pakistan that most of the people could not catch. It seems they do not want to miss this opportunity,'' said Arvind Rana, an official incharge of ticket sale. With city's heartthrob Yuvraj Singh part of Pune Warriors now, this is the first time KXIP would play at Mohali without him.
But that's no dampener for Vikas Patial, a software engineer. ''So what if the local players are not part of the team. We have bought tickets to enjoy the excitement of T-20. All players part of KXIP are our heroes,'' he said, flaunting his ticket for the Wednesday thriller. Another young fan Monika said, ''My friends and I will be at PCA to see the contest between Adam Gilchrist's team and M S Dhoni's men. The home squad has been running low on luck and we want to cheer them on.''
Rakesh Kumar, an attendant at the ticket counter put up at a city cafe, said, ''Chandigarh fans are making sure they are at PCA on Wednesday. It's the young ones who are the most excited. These matches are not about the individual player's charm. It's more about the celebrities who're associated with the teams... everybody wants to see Preity Zinta cheer on the Kings.''