The social media is buzzing with questions about the tax that is being imposed on tickets for an IPL match. A social media user by the name of Ravi Handa shared a screenshot of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) match tickets which reveals 70% tax.
Handa highlighted that a ticket with a base price of ₹2,343 was sold for ₹4,000 after various taxes were added. Handa wrote, “Tax on IPL tickets is more than 70%. A ticket of 2343.75 becomes 4000 post taxes”.
Breakdown of ₹4,000 price tag
Base price: ₹2,343.75
Entertainment Tax (25%): ₹781.25
Subtotal: ₹3,125.00
GST (28% on subtotal): ₹875
CGST: ₹437.50
SGST: ₹437.50
That final ₹875 of GST is not charged on the base ticket price but on the subtotal that already includes the entertainment tax. The result? You’re effectively paying tax on another tax.
Handa mentioned that he received the ticket details from another social media user, Shirisha, who called the pricing structure “a joke to taxpayers.”
According to the Financial Express report, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) itself is exempt from taxes on IPL earnings. Registered as a “charitable organization” under Section 12A of India’s Income Tax Act, BCCI pays zero tax since it is technically promoting cricket as a non-profit activity.
Here’s what the fans have to say about surging ticket price
RCB beats CSK after 17 years
The IPL 2025 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, March 28, 2025 saw Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) deliver a dominant performance, securing a 50-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the first time in 17 years. The year 2008 was the last time that RCB had beaten CSK after which they failed to register a single win at Chepauk.
RCB set a challenging target of 197 after posting a total of 196/7 in their 20 overs. The top-order, featuring Phil Salt (32 off 16 balls) and Rajat Patidar (51 off 32 balls), provided a solid foundation. Tim David (22 off 8 balls) played a quickfire cameo to propel RCB beyond the 190-run mark.
On the bowling front, RCB was led by Josh Hazlewood (3/21) and Yash Dayal (2/18), whose disciplined efforts restricted CSK to just 146/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
