Bengaluru canteen worker arrested for IPL ticket black marketing, 100 tickets seized

A canteen worker at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been arrested in a major crackdown on black marketing of IPL tickets, with around 100 tickets seized by police. The accused, identified as Chandrashekhar, was allegedly caught red-handed while selling tickets at highly inflated prices during the Indian Premier League 2026, raising fresh concerns over transparency in ticket distribution.

According to officials, Chandrashekhar, who worked at Sri Lakshmi Canteen inside the stadium, was attempting to sell tickets priced between ₹15,000 and ₹19,000, far exceeding their original rates. The tickets were reportedly meant for a high-demand match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants. Acting on specific inputs, police launched an operation and detained him while he was allegedly engaged in illegal sales.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that the tickets had been supplied by a member of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, identified as Ganesh Parikshit. He is currently absconding, and a manhunt has been launched to trace him. Investigators suspect a larger network behind the operation, involving insiders and possible corporate links facilitating bulk purchase and resale of tickets.

Authorities have also registered a case against managing directors of certain private companies for their alleged role in enabling the illegal sale of tickets. The Central Crime Branch is now expanding its investigation to uncover the full extent of the racket, as the seizure of such a large number of tickets indicates an organised black marketing operation.

The incident comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding IPL ticket allocation in Karnataka. Questions have already been raised over preferential distribution practices and limited availability for the general public. With both black marketing and VIP allocation under scrutiny, the latest arrest has intensified concerns about fairness and transparency in access to high-profile cricket matches.