UAE fans flock to Colombo for India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash

COLOMBO: Cricket fans from the United Arab Emirates are showing unprecedented enthusiasm for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for Sunday at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

According to Gulf media, a weekend trip to Colombo for the match is now costing fans around AED 7,000. Travel agents have reported a sharp surge in bookings in recent days, with both flight tickets and hotel accommodations seeing significant increases.

“Airfares have risen noticeably, and hotel rates have been adjusted upwards due to the heightened demand,” said one travel agent. 

Return flights from Dubai to Colombo are now averaging around AED 3,700, although availability varies depending on seat allocation and travel dates.

Accommodation costs have also increased, with mid-range hotels for three nights now averaging AED 2,200. Depending on the hotel’s standard and location, rates can go up to AED 4,000. 

Meanwhile, mid-tier stadium tickets for the match are expected to cost between AED 400 and AED 600. Overall, the total cost for fans traveling from the UAE is estimated to reach AED 6,000 to 7,000.

Historically, India and Pakistan have faced each other in 16 T20 internationals, with India winning 13 and Pakistan three. 

In the T20 World Cup, the two sides have clashed eight times, with India leading the head-to-head 7-1.

Squads

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.