There is growing excitement among fans ahead of Team India’s tour of New Zealand in October. New Zealand Cricket has revealed that more than 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the multi-format series, which will see India return to the country after a gap of six years. The tour will feature five T20Is, five ODIs and two Test matches.

According to a press release from New Zealand Cricket, general ticket sales opened on Monday and several matches are expected to be sold out. The second T20I in Christchurch has already seen particularly strong demand, with around 75 percent of the tickets sold.

The demand has also prompted Eden Park to open its upper tier for the first time since India’s previous tour of New Zealand in 2019. The additional seating will be available for the fourth T20I between the two sides on October 30.

New Zealand Cricket Head of Marketing Tim Ellis highlighted the strong response from fans, saying the decision to open the upper tier reflects the enormous excitement surrounding India’s visit.

The tour could also provide a major financial boost to New Zealand Cricket. The board reportedly suffered losses of more than $7 million during the last financial year.

India and New Zealand will face each other across all three formats during the tour, with two Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is scheduled. With ticket sales already crossing the 50,000 mark, the initial response has offered New Zealand Cricket an encouraging start.

“Ticket sales opened to the public on Monday after a two-week pre-sale window for Cricket Nation members, Sky customers, and ANZ customers, with several matches on track to sell out, including the second T20I against India in Christchurch which sits at 75% sold out," said an official press release.

“Being able to open up the top level of Eden Park for the first time in years is really exciting and speaks to the swell of excitement building around the tour. Matches at Hagley Oval have always been well attended but to have one of them over three quarters sold already is quite remarkable," NZC's Head of Marketing Tim Ellis was quoted as saying in the release.