Kolkata gets set to cheer for its home team, gears up for an epic finale on Sunday

As KKR cemented its place in the IPL final for the fourth time, Kolkata is gearing up to watch the home team play at the MA Chidambaram stadium on May 26. We spoke to cricket buffs, resto pub owners and jersey sellers to find out about match day plans, offers and more. Read on...

Immersive and fun screening plans
What is a match day without a watch party with friends? Better if it is on a giant screen. City malls and resto pubs have got it sorted. “We will be screening on a giant screen as well as the eateries inside the mall,” said Subhadip Basu, GM, Acropolis Mall. Some restopubs have set up live commentary to create a stadium like atmosphere. “We’ll have DJ performances during match breaks and celebratory moments too. The pub will be decorated with KKR flags and there will be flags and whistles at each table,” said Pritesh Sakpal, PR, events marketing manager, Five Mad Men. Malls and resto pubs are also expecting higher footfall on Sunday. “We are expecting at least 150 guests on Sunday evening,” said Anshuman Singh, owner, Taki Taki.

Demand high for jerseys
People are also buying team jerseys to wear to watch parties. “I have sold 20 purple jerseys already. Each jersey is priced at Rs 200 to 250,” said Ozair Ahmad, a jersey seller near New Market.

Demand high for air tickets & accommodation in Chennai
Many hardcore cricket buffs are also planning to fly to Chennai to catch the match live, leading to a spike in flight bookings. “Queries for Chennai air tickets and hotel accommodations have gone up after KKR’s win. Enquiries for tickets to the final match are also high,” said Anil Punjabi, national committee member representing eastern India, Travel Agents Federation of India. Arunodoy Dey, owner of city travel company, seconded this and said that the demand for air tickets and economy accommodation in Chennai has increased in the past few days.
Ananda Sankar Choudhuri, an actor, who bought flights tickets to Chennai in the first week of May, said, “I have my friends in Chennai who have organised my stadium tickets. Since 2008, I have never missed any KKR match at Eden Gardens. So, there’s no way I will miss the finals.”

Offers galore
Restos are also offering extra perks to guests to add to the celebratory mood. “To keep things exciting, whenever the team in purple hits a six or takes a wicket, we’ll give a 1+1 offer for that particular over,” said Nitin Agarwal of Hashtag. This Sunday we are expecting the footfall to jump by 30% over the usual 30,000 due to the final match in Chennai
– Subhadip Basu

Our staff is going to be in the home team jersey and we have asked the DJ to align the evening’s music with the title songs of the tourney
– Vanita Bajoria, director, Lord of the Drinks

Pics: Anindya Saha & iStock; Location courtesy: Lord of the Drinks
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