T20 World Cup Ticket Frenzy Crashes Servers

The ticketing disaster began when ticket sales for the India-Pakistan game at Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka on February 15 were announced. After less than half an hour, both the transactions (between fans and BookMyShow) failed and gave error messages. Ticket availability was seen as a good sign in terms of revenue potential for the International Cricket Council, Board of Control for Cricket in India, and the ticketing companies.

Timeline of Events: The Rampage Begins

Ticket sales started at 7 PM IST. Ticket listings for the India-Pakistan game garnered over half a million users logged in to buy tickets within minutes of launching the sale.

The Breakdown:

• 7:02 PM: BookMyShow freezes, with the queue running to 50,000 and climbing.
• 7:15 PM: The system has crashed. The phrase "Coming Soon" is seen in place of buttons to purchase a ticket.
• 9:00 PM: Restart time is announced and soon after the India-Pakistan listings are still not available.
• Next Day: Steady sales are reported for other India matches (India vs. United States and West Indies vs. Bangladesh).

Request volumes from cricket fans (1.4 billion people globally) crashed the servers, but sources have confirmed that it was not due to any type of cyber attack; they simply overloaded by trying to buy a ticket for one game on their calendar.

Why the India vs Pakistan Match Creates Chaos on the Internet

No rivalry can match this,

Key Business Statistics:

• Phase 1 (Opening Matches): 2,00,000 tickets sold within a few hours.
• IND-PAK Ticket Prices: ₹3,000 - ₹15,000 (range is approximately LKR 10,000 - LKR 50,000).
• Projected Revenue: Around ₹200 Crores estimated from Colombo alone.
• Global TV Rights Growth: Star Sports estimates 50 Crores global viewers

Co-hosting with Sri Lanka provides a different feeling; it will be India's first T20 World Cup defence since 2024. Group A is becoming very competitive with the presence of Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands and USA; any loss could significantly reduce knock-out expectations.

Ticket Economics: Winners and Losers

Winners:

• ICC/BCCI - Achieved ₹2,000 Crores in ticketing early.
• Sri Lanka Cricket - Awards for stadium upgrades; tourism growth.
• Hospitality - All hotels in Colombo have been booked since February 15th

Losers:

• BookMyShow - Experienced damage to their reputation; however, 300% increase in traffic represents their capacity.
• Fans - Genuine buyers have been disadvantaged by "bots" who have purchased tickets; reselling tickets at three times their original price.
• Scalpers - Issues of being flagged for bulk purchases remain a major hurdle, and current solutions are inadequate

Fans can access tickets at an affordable price - ₹100 for the opener in India LKR 1,000 (~₹3). Premium ticket costs of IND vs PAK are justified by their significance to the tournament.

Score Your Tickets Now

BookMyShow is currently accepting orders for Non IND-PK matches. Hurry Up!

Phase 2 Match Schedule Still Open

Pro Tips:

• Pre-save payment - UPI, cards linked
• Incognito mode + VPN off - reduces queue flags
• Multiple devices - phone + laptop simultaneous
• Hospitality packages: ₹25k+ includes food, priority entry

Resale Watch: BookMyShow official secondary at 1.5x face. Avoid WhatsApp scams.

Tournament Business Beyond Tickets

T20 World Cup 2026 (Feb 7-Mar 8) spans 8 venues: Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad (India); Colombo, Kandy (SL). 20 teams, 55 matches.

Revenue Streams:

• Broadcast: ₹6,500 crore Star-Disney deal
• Sponsors: Tata, Vivo renew at 20% uplift
• Merch: India jerseys up 40% pre-sales
• Tourism: SL targets 5 lakh visitors

India defends the 2024 crown. Openers: IND-USA Mumbai, PAK-NED Colombo, WI-BAN Kolkata. Group A pressure cooker.

The Frustration and Optimisms of Fans

On Twitter, a number of posts showed frustration with the sales process for India vs Pakistan (IND-PAK) tickets: "BookMyShow has sold my soul," "IND-PAK tickets = a cryptocurrency mining rig." In some cases, this happens, as it appears that many fans are working and cannot access the ticket sales during business hours.

The ICC stated they understand their pain as ticket sales were affected by this, and they were providing them with an alternative way to buy tickets.

ICC has continued to sell tickets on an ongoing basis. They expect there will be an audience capacity for approximately 35,000 fans in Colombo, as well as a significant amount of excitement around the trophy tour (Nepal's segment of the trophy tour is done). This demonstrates, through the ICC's experience, the significant popularity of cricket.

The amount of interest generated from a massive response from fans to the ticket sales crash has led to a pronounced increase (approximately 15%) in memberships by the BCCI, which is expected to be supported by financial bonds for the future improvement of stadium facilities.

The Future

The ICC expects a second chance to purchase IND-PAK tickets, via BookMyShow/ICC Twitter. The second phase of ticket sales will include tickets to the semifinals in Chennai, and the Final in Ahmedabad.

From a business perspective, the ticket sales fiasco allows us to build and fund grassroots academies and women's leagues. The massive ticket sales crash, while severely impacting fans, resulted in the creation of a 500 crore economy.

You will receive a VIP Pass to our VIP Club for purchasing your seat on February 15 and for each Error Page you encounter along the way. Be sure to come back often!