IPL on big screen is a big hit with Guntur cricket fans

GUNTUR: Cricket lovers were virtually on cloud nine while watching the IPL match live telecast on massive screen set up by BCCI in the city. Thousands of fans including children and elderly people thronged the venue to watch the matches live. Security personnel had a tough job in screening the jostling crowds who arrived at the ground almost two hours before the matches kicked off.
The BCCI granted special budget to televise three IPL matches on big screens under fan park mode.Guntur District Cricket Association (GDCA) and Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) jointly organized the big shows at Majeti Guravaiah high school grounds on Saturday and Sunday. Interestingly, GDCA made special arrangements for children to play cricket right at the venue even while enjoying the live telecast. A dedicated play area has been created to provide amusement to the children and food courts were also set up in the ground. “It is really a fantastic experience to watch the match live on such a massive screen. I enjoyed it,” said Madhuri, an engineering student.
Interestingly, the crowd was doubled on Sunday as the youth lined up to enter the ground by 3pm itself. “It was really unexpected turnout as ground was packed for both the matches scheduled on Sunday (Delhi capitals and RCB, and Kolkata Night Riders-Mumbai Indians,” said coordinator of the ACA and former Ranji player Annamraju Sairam. With all the educational institutions declaring summer holidays, the students did not move out of the venue till late in the night. The organisers have also set up massive flood lights in the ground. They have also roped in TV anchors to host the programme where the children from local schools were given opportunity to exhibit their dancing skills in between the matches to provide additional entertainment to the audience. City was reverberated with the whistle blowing and cheers of the crowd whenever players hit the sixes and bowlers took the wickets.
BCCI manager Gajula Mohan said that BCCI is hosting matches on big screens in 36 cities across the country and cricket lovers in Guntur are fortunate to witness the match on big screen. ACA secretary Chukkapalli Arunkumar, vice-president Sunil Rathnakumar, GDCA secretary Rajesh were also present.