A bustling, festive and chaotic Ahmedabad is all set to host the final of the ICC World Cup as a high-flying India takes on five-time champions Australia in an epic clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.  

The 132,000 capacity at the world's largest stadium is expected to be filled from every corner as online tickets have been already sold out, with thousands still searching for tickets outside the stadium premises on the eve of the finale. 

There has been a massive surge in airfares for flights to the city. Typically, the cost of tickets ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 to reach Ahmedabad from different parts of the country but the rise has seen that range propel to between Rs 16,000 and Rs 25,000 owing to the elevated demand for Ahmedabad-bound flights. 

Having accepted the steep price, many are still willing to make the journey but are struggling to source tickets to reach Ahmedabad ever since India confirmed their place in the final beating New Zealand by 70 runs in the semi-final in Mumbai on Wednesday. 

Much like the airfares, the rates for the hotels in Ahmedabad have witnessed surges as well, making it very difficult to find affordable accommodations.

While searching for hotels in Ahmedabad for November 18-19, one can see that the prices per night have gone up by 10 times the rate of other days on the calendar. Even those who had booked their hotels before are now facing troubles as most of the hotel authorities are now demanding at least five to ten times more than the agreed-upon amount while booking. This has become a cause of uncertainty for the fans coming from different parts of the country to Ahmedabad. 
Even the average hotels that had charged between Rs 3000 and 5000 have also witnessed skyrocketing surges as now they are demanding somewhere between Rs 15000 to 25000. 

As things stand, it is expected that many fans may have to spend the night in the parks and even on the roads due to the unavailability of accommodations. 

"We had booked a hotel in Ahmedabad at least a month before the final. Each room cost Rs 5000 per night, so we booked for two nights for November 18 and 19. But since reaching Ahmedabad on Saturday, the hotel staff has been demanding Rs 15,000 per night from us or else they won't be able to accommodate us. This is bizarre and since we don't have such an amount with us, we don't know where we are going to stay for the next two days," Ashish Malhotra, who came with his two friends from Delhi, told The Daily Star. 

Despite all the hassle and discomforts, the Indian fans are hoping that Rohit Sharma and his troops who have remained clinical in reaching the final are going to lift their third World Cup title. 

While India have maintained a 100 per cent record on their road to the finale, they will be up against the most successful team in the competition, Australia, who will be eying their record sixth World Cup title as a cracker of a contest awaits.