Fake tickets flood BPL final, many fans denied entry

Hundreds of fans were left stranded outside the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium after being denied entry despite purchasing tickets for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final between Fortune Barishal and Chittagong Kings.

The match, scheduled to start at 6:00 pm, saw fans gathering outside as early as 3:00 pm, eagerly waiting for the gates to open. However, once they did, many found themselves in a frustrating situation—despite having tickets, they were refused entry as officials declared them fake.

The gates opened at 4:00 pm, two hours before the match, but by 4:30 pm, a large number of supporters were already facing difficulties at gates 4 and 5. Their tickets were not scanning, and officials informed them that they were counterfeit.

More than 100 fans fell victim to the scam, having unknowingly purchased fake tickets from black market sellers, who had disappeared by the time the issue was discovered.

Mohammad Sohel, a Fortune Barishal supporter, was among those affected. He had bought 10 tickets, only to find that three of them were fake.

"Seven of us managed to enter, which means those tickets were valid. But at the gate, officials told us the remaining three were fake. We reported it to security personnel, but they said there was nothing they could do," he said.

The problem was not limited to one gate. At gate 1, another frustrated fan, a Chittagong Kings supporter, was seen tearing up his ticket in anger.

"I bought three tickets, and all of them turned out to be fake," he said. When asked why he bought from the black market, he explained, "The tickets were sold out the day before, so I had no other choice."

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) acknowledged the issue but placed the responsibility on the fans.

Tarikul Islam Tito, a member of the BCB's ticketing committee, said, "We are aware of the situation, but this is the spectators' fault. Buying tickets from black market sellers is risky, and if they had checked properly, they would have noticed the difference. Fake tickets are often photocopied and easy to identify when handled. The BCB has no responsibility here because we did not sell any tickets directly. They were only available through banks and online, and they sold out quickly."

He also mentioned that similar incidents had occurred in Sylhet, where some people attempted to enter the stadium with fake tickets.

"In such cases, we seek police assistance to identify the main culprits. Once we determine who is responsible, innocent buyers are released. We have heard about the issue at the final as well, but since the BCB was not directly involved in ticket sales, there is little we can do. Fans must be more cautious in the future," he added.