Juniors’ win fuels interest in seniors’ T20 Cup quest
Times of India | 8 February 2026
Kolkata: A sudden cricket fever has gripped the city, stoked by India's Under-19 World Cup victory on Friday. With India starting their T20 WC campaign with a win against the USA in Mumbai on Saturday, many from the city decided to fly down to Ahmedabad, Delhi and Chennai to catch the Men in Blue in action over the next one week. Pakistan's refusal to play India in Colombo on Feb 15, had left cricket fans disheartened, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's fireworks against England and Team India's winning run in the recent T20Is has reignited interest. This could increase as Suryakumar Yadav & Co got going, believed fans and city travel agents, who were flooded with queries for match and flight tickets.
With Eden Gardens hosting the West Indies-Scotland game on Saturday afternoon, the action reached home turf for city fans. "There was a decent crowd at the ground, which is not bad considering that this was just the first match and India was not in it. Interestingly, there is a growing demand for the Italy-Scotland match at Eden on Monday, possibly fuelled by those who support Italy in football. With India in red-hot form, the interest will grow, and we have already booked groups to Delhi and Ahmedabad, where India play their subsequent group matches. These are against non-Test-playing countries, so the interest can only rise from here," said Anil Punjabi of AR-ES Travels and a committee member of the Travel Agents' Federation of India.
He added that a "good number" from Kolkata travelled to Mumbai for the first match.
Techie Souvik Basu, who watched the India-USA match at home with friends, said the controversies surrounding Pakistan created added interest among cricket fans. "If India keep playing like this, there will be a scamper for tickets for the knockout stage. Imagine India playing a Super Eight match at the Eden in three weeks. I just can't wait to be at the Eden," said Basu. He said some of his friends are planning to watch the Italy-Scotland game, as they are keen to witness the "Blues" in action. "It's difficult to catch Italy playing football. So, let it be cricket," said Shamik De, a cricket fan.
Kolkata entrepreneur Mahesh Punjabi, who is part of a group which calls itself "The Twelfth Man" and travels around the world watching India-Pakistan matches, said they still hoped that the arch-rivals would meet in Colombo. "It will be too late for us to travel if there is a last-minute reconciliation, but then we might go to one of the Indian venues to watch the Men in Blue. It could be the Eden Gardens, where India play their last Super Eight match," said Punjabi.
Many in Kolkata are holding on to the India-Pakistan match ticket, said Manav Soni of the Travel Agents' Association of India. "Surely, there's pressure on Pakistan to agree to play, for stakes are high. Even without it, demand for tickets started spiralling slowly, and as India starts dominating, this will soar. We expect a full house when India play their second-round match at Eden," said Soni.
On the website viagogo, just 1% tickets for the India-USA match were left unsold till Saturday afternoon. The most expensive ticket was priced at Rs 67,339. For India's Namibia match on Feb 12, the highest price soared to Rs 73,514. The website, though, was not offering any ticket for the India-Pakistan Feb 15 game.