Even as the city has been witnessing heavy downpour for the last three days and more rains predicted in next two days casting doubts over the fate of the match, diehard enthusiasts arrived here since last night to stand in the queue for the tickets.
Although the ticket counters opened half-an-hour later than the scheduled time, more than 12,000 tickets were sold today, sources said, adding the remaining 4000 tickets would be sold tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, OCA authorities are leaving no stone unturned to keep Barabati grounds match-fit on Saturday. In an innovative way, the organisers are draining out water from the outfield by digging four wells around the ground.
Efforts were also on to keep the pitch dry by providing a three layer cover. Last night, rainwater gushed into the pitch. The ground staff were pressed to remove the water by using sponge.
Both the teams are slated to arrive at Bhubaneswar tomorrow after their match at Ranchi. The teams would stay in Bhubaneswar and come here for practice on Friday, sources said.