A massive rush of cricket fans was witnessed outside Barabati Stadium in Cuttack as offline ticket sales for the India–South Africa T20 match began on Friday morning. Supporters started gathering from Thursday night, turning the entire stadium vicinity into a bustling crowd of eager spectators hoping to secure their seats for the December 9 clash.
Hundreds of fans—many of them young cricket enthusiasts—formed long queues that stretched around the stadium well before sunrise. Despite the cold weather, the crowd continued to grow through the night as people travelled from distant locations to ensure they did not miss the opportunity to purchase tickets.
To ensure smooth crowd management, the Commissionerate Police introduced a new crowd-control system for the first time. Steel barricades were arranged in a serpentine pattern, guiding spectators from the entrance near the OCA Cricket Academy directly to the ticket counters.
Two parallel barricaded lines with a two-foot gap have been designated for the public, while a separate three-foot barricaded lane has been reserved for police deployment. Nearly 800 metres of steel barricades have been installed around the counter zone.
Authorities have also prohibited fans from forming queues outside the counters the previous night. Ticket sales officially began at 9 a.m., and only individuals purchasing tickets were allowed near the counters, which have been designated as a strict “no-man’s land” to prevent crowding.
Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo urged fans to remain calm, stating, “More people have arrived than the number of tickets available, so I request everyone not to crowd unnecessarily. Practice sessions will be held on August 8, and fan parks will be set up for public viewing. The counters will open soon, and CCTVs have been installed for monitoring.”
