Visakhapatnam: As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faces Punjab Kings in the IPL-2025 final on June 3, curiosity among cricket enthusiasts reached a new crescendo. As both the teams were yet to open their IPL trophy kitty yet in their 18-year-long journey, the digit ‘18’ drew larger attention during the IPL final. Apparently, the million dollar question was who would win the first ever IPL title?

Of the two teams, hopes on Royal Challengers Bengaluru soared high as Virat Kohli represented it. Currently, Kohli is in the top form and scored a whopping eight half centuries during the 18th IPL season. Coinciding with the IPL Season 18, Kohli’s No:18 Jersey heightened hope for the RCB’s first IPL title. With this, hard core RCB fans were certain of winning the IPL trophy for the first time in 18 years. This sparked curiosity among scores of cricket fans to watch the match on big screens.

Catering to the cricket enthusiasts in Visakhapatnam, big screens were facilitated in hotels, and INOX theatre screen on Tuesday. In support of the endeavour, INOX Varun Beach screened the IPL final. However, tickets for the screening were sold out by noon.

Earlier, during the ODA World Cup, Andhra Cricket Association in collaboration with the BCCI arranged a big screen at the Beach Road. Years before, live screening was facilitated even at Tenneti Park for the cricket buffs.

“When we watch live matches on larger-than-life screens, we get a feeling of watching the match at the stadium,” relates M. Suresh Kumar, a cricket enthusiast in Visakhapatnam.

A section of cricket lovers opine that their presence makes a difference in the score. “It’s a sentiment factor for me to watch the match live without any distractions so that my favourite team wins this season.

So I planned my entire work schedule accordingly to make myself free in the evening before the match started,” shares T. Satish, another cricket fan, who is into the entertainment business.