Is it tougher standing out as a brand associated with cricket, or playing for a billion-plus people? Good question, but we have a third option now. The toughest of all cricketing achievements is to get hold of a ticket to watch an India match live during the ongoing ICC World Cup. It took a Delhi High Court to restrict the number of complimentary passes to 10,000, of a total capacity of 41,000. In Bangalore, 30,000 fans rushing to buy an estimated 7,000 tickets, of a capacity of 45,000, created a situation that demanded police intervention.

A reported 10 million fans looking to buy 1,000 tickets for the finals on April 2, via kyazoonga.com, caused the site to crash! Also in Mumbai, 4,000 tickets were made available to the general public for the final. The remaining 27,000 seats? They will go to members of the cricket association and ICC's commercial partners. It's the same story across venues hosting World Cup matches.

Cut to Sri Lanka: AP reports that the police arrested a temporary recruit (to sell tickets!) for trying to sell 50-rupee (Sri Lankan) tickets for Rs 1,000 each!

The situation is not so different, though in a sort of legitimate manner, explained a professional in the sponsorship business.

For the corporate world sponsoring the game, and associations providing sustained support to cricket, tickets to a premium event like the World Cup, and a super premium sub-event like an India match, are some of the biggest elements of RoI. So if you're a privileged customer or client of a sponsor brand, you stand a far better chance of watching an India match at the stadium.

You are part of a privileged few, and the sponsor is letting you know that by sending you that ticket.

The scenario underlines that despite being able to watch the match on your mobile, or the computer, or better still on TV, the euphoria of screaming for India at the stadium remains unparalleled.

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