MUMBAI: The Mumbai Cricket Association is likely to rake in a whopping Rs 150 crore from the sale of hospitality boxes at the Wankhede Stadium during the 2023 ODI World Cup, TOI has learnt.
"Two companies-DreamSetGo (a subsidiary of Dream XI) and Cutting edge-have offered around Rs 50 crore for three boxes and 529 hospitality seats area) at Level 2 of the Vithal Divecha Pavilion at the Wankhede Stadium, for a period of 10 years. Aditya Birla has offered Rs 12 crore for two boxes at the stadium, while the Essar Group has made a Rs 8.5 cr offer for one box," revealed a source.
"The MCA has already finalised the sale of hospitality boxes at the Wankhede to Reliance Ambani (Rs 30 cr for three boxes) JSW (Jindal) (Rs 15.10 cr for one box), Bajaj (Rs 15 cr for one box) and APCO Infra (Rs 15.10 cr for one box)," he said.
Apparently, the MCA had earned a similar amount from the sale of hospitality boxes in the 2011 World Cup too. Some MCA members have expressed concerns that seats in the Vithal Divecha Pavilion cannot be given to a private firm.
"Where will the MCA members (entitled to complimentary, subsidized tickets) sit then," they wondered.
"No private firm can indulge in branding inside the stadium during the World Cup and the IPL as we have to give a 'clean' stadium to the ICC and MI before those events."
