Giant screens have gone up all over the
state as Goan cricket enthusiasts are slowly warming up for the eighth edition
of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches that kicked off last week.
Restaurants across the city are putting up projector screens and extra LCD
screens to create a stadium-like aura where guests can savour every moment of
the match on the big-screen. “We plan to hang out at the clubs during the
matches and enjoy with everybody. Watching them on the big screen with the
crowd will be a delight,” says Kolkata Night Riders fan Akhil Desai.
Gautam Bakhale, one of the partners at
Cohiba Bar and Grill in Anjuna, says, “Although Goa isn’t as crazy about
cricket as football, the cricket fever completely grips the state during major
cricketing events like the World Cup and IPL. We have started noticing fan
clubs of some IPL franchises who dedicatedly come together to watch their
matches and support their respective teams. IPL is too big an event to be
missed out on, hence we have arranged for all the IPL matches to be screened on
the projector. The screening continues even during our signature band nights,
on Wednesdays and Saturdays.”
Azzure in Calangute is offering 20%
discount on bottle rates and unlimited food and IMFL for Rs 1200. While Cotinga
in Anjuna does not have any special offers on F&B, they are screening all
the matches on the big screen. Black Sheep Bistro in the capital city is
currently not screening the matches but is willing to oblige in case of
requests from the customers.
In the southern part of Goa, Soul Soufflé
near Uddear springs in Verna is implementing a rather novel idea of cashing in
on the IPL fever. Guests can check in at Soul Soufflé on the Zomato app or on
Facebook and treat themselves to a complimentary cocktail of their choice.
Furthermore, on two cocktails, one can get the third one for free. Things are a
little similar in Colva as Acacia Palms is screening all the matches with the
help of a projector. To ensure uninterrupted screening of the matches, the team
at Acacia has arranged for power back up and secured a cable connection in case
there is power or DTH outage. With regards to offers, Acacia Palms has a host
of offers on beers, for example, one can get a bucket of beer consisting of
four pints for Rs 190, and so on. Guests can also avail of the ‘Buy 1 get 1
free’ offer on the cocktail and mocktail of the day.
Apart from the F&B offers, the
experience of watching the match on the big screen in the company of fellow
fans and friends combined with the electrifying nature of most of the IPL
matches makes it an interesting activity. We suggest that you find your nearest
haunt, make yourself comfortable and soak in the IPL spirit for the next 40-odd
days.
