6000 plus Indian fans travelled to Australia for BGT: CA

Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday said a record number of 6000 plus Indian fans travelled to Australia to watch the 2024-25 five-match Test series between the two teams for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Australia won the fiercely contested series 3-1 to reclaim the BGT trophy after a decade. "Over 6,000 travelling fans bought tickets from India "in addition to the many who purchased through friends and family" in Australia," CA said in a statement.

The series, one of world cricket's biggest rivalries, saw a six-fold increase on ticket sales from people living in India from the previous BGT rubber hosted by Australia in 2018/19. As per the official figures, a total of 8,37,879 people attended the series, the fourth most for any Test series Down Under and the highest for any non-Ashes series. Nearly 5 per cent of all ticket purchasing fans travelled for the matches from overseas, CA said.

"In addition to attendance records tumbling at venues across the country, at least eight sessions averaged more than 2 million viewers with 40 sessions averaging more than 1 million viewers, Cricket Australia said.

Indian fans topped the international ticket sales charts, surpassing the UK and USA. Boxing Day Test at the iconic MCG was particularly popular, with Indian visitors accounting for over two-thirds of tickets sold for that match alone. Joel Morrison, Cricket Australia's executive general manager, events and operations, said: "We are delighted that Australia has become a pre-eminent destination for Indian cricket fans fuelled by the enormous interest in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.

"The passion of Indian supporters helped enhance the electric atmosphere at every ground across the summer. We're committed to deepening our relationship with cricket fans all over the world and enhancing the fan experience for both local and travelling fans alike."

The Indian teams will return to Australia next summer, with the men's side featuring in a three ODIs and five T20Is in October-November 2025, and the women's squad playing in a seven match multi-format series in February-March 2026.

"The increasing number of travelling Indian fans this summer highlights Australian cricket's increasingly important role in facilitating tourism and trade outcomes for governments and businesses across Australia," Morrison further said. In the last high-profile tour, India won the Test series opener in Perth but suffered losses in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to finally surrender the trophy after a decade of dominance. PTI