After the ODI series between India and South Africa, a five-match T20 series is to be played and the curiosity among the fans has increased even before the first T20 match of this series. In fact, before this match to be held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, there was a huge competition among the fans to get tickets. The crowd increased so much that an atmosphere of chaos was created outside the stadium.
Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) had announced on 4 December that the sale of tickets would start from Friday morning, following which thousands of fans gathered at the stadium gate on 5 December. Although the authorities had banned standing in queues overnight and allowed people to assemble from 6 am, by the time the counter opened at 9 am, such a large number of people had arrived that it became difficult to control the crowd.
This chaotic situation can be seen in a viral video, in which a stampede-like situation is seen forming in the crowd. Ultimately the police had to resort to lathicharge to control the crowd and the situation was finally brought under control. This will be the second international match of 2025 at Barabati Stadium. Earlier in the year, the Indian team captained by Rohit Sharma played an ODI match against England here, where crowd pressure was witnessed. Such a huge crowd for T-20 match tickets shows that this time too there is equal enthusiasm and interest among the fans.
Now India’s eyes are on the third ODI against South Africa to be held in Visakhapatnam on 6 December. After a thrilling win in Ranchi, the Indian team had to face a four-wicket defeat in the second ODI in Raipur. Now the team will look to win the third ODI under the captaincy of KL Rahul, so that the hopes of winning the series can be maintained. This is very important for the team, as they had to face a 2-0 defeat in the Test series and another defeat will see the team lose the ODI series as well.
Massive turnout at Barabati Stadium today as fans line up for India–South Africa T20 tickets.
One hope @dcp_cuttack, @cpbbsrctc , @Satya0168 have ensured proper crowd-control arrangements, because the visuals below tell a different story–something essential is missing to keep… pic.twitter.com/heRx96QDFT
— Soumyajit Pattnaik (@soumyajit) December 5, 2025
After the ODI series, the focus will shift to the T20 series, which will begin in Cuttack on December 9. T20 World Cup is also to be held in the next two months, hence this series is a great opportunity for the team captained by Suryakumar Yadav to show its strength. Some players are seeing this as an opportunity to cement their place in the team.
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