The Ferozeshah Kotla was fairly packed for Saturday’s game, but there was plenty of speculation as to what percentage of the specators had purchased tickets and how many complimentary passes had been handed out. And now there’s hint of bad blood between the franchise owners and the Delhi District Cricket Association. A DDCA official told The Indian Express that there were close to 28,000 people at the ground to watch the first IPL game at the venue, and that 20,000 complimentary passes had been handed out. But a GMR official, who didn’t want to be named, brushed aside all claims. “It’s not possible that we can give out so many complimentary passes. Only around 5,000 passes have been distributed,” he said. But DDCA officials counter this saying they themselves got around 7900 as complimentary.There is some ill-feeling among the DDCA members because — as one of them says — they feel out of place in this mega-event, with the sponsors running the show. One said that a few members had even been denied entry. As for the ticket vs pass argument, not too many Daredevils fans would’ve minded paying to watch their nine-wicket win.
