New Delhi: Indian cricket fans, who love turning up for IPL matches across the country, will have to shell out more for tickets next season with the government raising the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on admission to these games from 28 per cent to 40 per cent.
According to a Ministry of Finance release issued late on Wednesday, “Admission to casinos, race clubs, any place having casinos or race clubs or sporting events like IPL will have GST of 40 percent with ITC (Input Tax Credit).
An IPL ticket with a base price of Rs 500 before GST till last season would ultimately cost Rs 640 with GST levied at 28 per cent. However, during the 2026 edition, the same ticket will now cost Rs 700 after the imposition of 40 per cent GST by the government.
The Press Information Bureau’s latest circular, informing of the changes in tax rate, only talks about “sporting events like the IPL”. Finance and business publications have interpreted this to mean that other cricket matches might now fall under other “recognised sporting events”.
As of now, other recognised sporting events attract 18% GST for tickets priced over INR 500. Tickets priced under INR 500 are exempt from GST. So, tickets for international matches and other state-run leagues could become cheaper in the near future. Currently, if the base price of the ticket to an international cricket match is INR 1000, it costs INR 1280 after the inclusion of taxes. With this new change, the same price will come down to INR 1180.
The changes will be effective from September 22, which is a week before the start of the Women’s World Cup, the next international cricket event to be played in India. The tickets for the event have yet to go on sale. On August 30, exactly a month before the tournament opener, the ICC asked fans to “register your interest” to “ensure you are the first to receive the latest news and ticketing information straight to your inbox”.
