Dadagiri: KKR forced to lower ticket rates

Kolkata Knight Riders won their first match of IPL season IV at home in front of a largely-empty Eden Gardens

Kolkata Knight Riders won their first match of IPL season IV at home in front of a largely-empty Eden Gardens,and the cold response from fans has forced the team management to go on damage-control mode.

KKR,who dumped Sourav Ganguly from the squad Ganguly finally went unsold at the auctions were stung by the protests and shunned by the public,with the 63,500-capacity Eden Gardens witnessing a turnout of just about 25,000 on Monday. On Tuesday,not only did the team management decide to reduce ticket prices for the rest of the games at Eden Gardens,team co-owner Shahrukh Khan was also quick to dedicate the first victory this season to Ganguly.

I really want to do (win) this because I am not playing here. Ideally,I want to do this for Kolkata,I want to do this for Sourav Ganguly,I want to do this for IPL, Khan said after their nine-run win over the Deccan Chargers. He also said that though Ganguly may not be playing for the Knight Riders,the former India captain and team iconic player for the first three seasons was still a presence in the team. In the three years of depression,what has kept us going is that Kolkatans have stuck with us. Dada is always a part of our team,in soul and spirit, he said.

CEO Venky Mysore said the team management had a conscious decision to reduce ticket prices. While the earlier prices were Rs 500,900 and 1200 for KKR home games,they have now been priced at Rs 400,500 and 900 respectively.

Mysore also claimed that Mondays collections were the highest-ever for KKR from a home game,though fact remains that there was a 40 per cent drop in the gate sales. There will be loss of revenue but we want to give the crowd total value for money. We want to give them maximum opportunity to watch some good,exciting cricket, Mysore said,adding those who had already bought tickets online at higher prices will be refunded the difference in amount.

Seeking Gangulys presence

Shahrukh,however,tried to assuage the Kolkata fans,who are still smarting with Gangulys exclusion from the squad. Whenever Ive come to Eden Ive only felt love. I never thought whether its because of one player or any other reason. Im just happy being here, he said and hoped that Ganguly would come to the ground and cheer the players in the upcoming six home matches. We had,in fact,asked him to join us in watching the match last night but he could not make it due to some prior engagements. Hopefully,he will be with us for the rest of the matches, he said.