T&T..Massive turnout for CPL tickets at Oval

Hundreds of cricket fans lined up for hours yesterday outside the Queen’s Park Oval box office in Port of Spain to try to buy tickets for Trinbago Knight Riders’ home fixtures in the 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL). It was disappointment for many as the Express understands that physical tickets for TKR matches against Guyana Amazon Warriors on August 31 and Jamaica Kingsmen on August 29 sold out before noon.

Security officer at the Oval Kareem Perez said: “We had about 1,000 people pass through. A lot of them came very early from about 4.30 a.m. They were waiting outside. The crowd was well-behaved. The sun was fierce. I have not seen this large crowd for a few years.” Cricket lover Nagil Sampath said: “I came early this morning. But the crowd was thick. So I left and went to work. I came back again. My son Shiva and I love cricket. We will be attending a couple of games.” Asked about his concerns, he added: “I felt they should have had more depots to purchase the tickets. Everybody had to come to the Oval.”

Some people registered their angst about online tickets being sold out, stating that having arrived at the Oval, they had to deal with the intense heat and an active wrecker. He stated that a lot of people came from Central and South. “They don’t know where to park their cars. They got wrecked. I parked my car because I know the lay of the land.” When the Express attempted to get a response from the manager at the Oval, a cashier checked with the manager, returned, and said: “No comment.” The Express also reached out to CPL head of communications and public relations Peter Miller, who said he was currently in the UK and had no idea of what occurred at the Oval, so he was not in a position to comment.