London: India's failure to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final is estimated to cost the home of cricket, Lord's Cricket Ground, nearly 4 million pounds in revenue when it hosts the five-day match in June.
After finishing as runners-up in the last two editions, India missed out on securing a berth in the final. The Pat Cummins-led Australia and South Africa will now square up against each other for the ultimate glory in Test cricket.
"Lord’s is set to generate nearly £4 million less in revenue for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final after India’s failure to qualify," a report in The Times said.
"The absence of India has significantly curtailed the financial windfall expected by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), underscoring the financial influence of Indian cricket across the global game."
India maintained their dominance in Test cricket until they suffered an embarrassing 0-3 defeat in a home series to New Zealand, followed by a 1-3 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, thus missing out on the final.
MCC had originally set premium ticket prices on the higher side for the WTC final, anticipating that India’s participation would lead to a surge in ticket sales. However, once it became clear that India would not make it to the final, the MCC revised their strategy and reduced ticket prices.
"The decision to be flexible with prices for the World Test Championship final was taken this year, with tickets now being sold at between £40 and £90 — about £50 cheaper than they had originally been priced, accounting for the loss in revenue," the report said.
The MCC had faced criticism last year during England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, when only 9,000 spectators attended the fourth day of the match, prompting them to reconsider their pricing strategy for this event.
