ipl fans
The IPL Fan Parks is an unique initiative by the BCCI to allow the non-IPL cities get a stadium-like atmosphere during the matches. Pictured: Spectators during an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on May 2, 2016.IANS

The Indian Premier League has displayed an amalgamation of cricket and entertainment right from its inception in 2007. In order to increase the popularity of the tournament to yet another level in the IPL 2016, the BCCI are keen on taking forward the unique initiative of "IPL Fan Parks" which was started last year.

The IPL Fan Parks this year have reached various cities across India like Amritsar, Allahabad, Sahranpur, Gwalior and Panipat among many others. In the month of May, the unique initiative will reach in Gurgaon, Jaipur, Durgapur, Mysore and so on.

So what basically are these IPL Fan Parks all about? In order to cater to their increasingly popular IPL fanbase, the BCCI decided to organise public screenings of the Indian Premier League matches in some selected open arenas and stadiums in those cities where the IPL matches aren't being hosted.

To make the atmosphere more riveting, the IPL Fan Parks have emcees, live DJs as well as several merchandising stalls, where the fans can engage in various contests, thus making the experience worth it.

"The Fan Parks were a massive success in its inaugural year [2015], and were created in 15 cities across the country," said IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla to the IPL website. "Over 1.5 lakh cricket fans attended the Fan Parks over the duration of the tournament with the footfall for each city over a two-day weekend averaging between 5000 and 8000 fans per day.

"The IPL 2015 final played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 24, 2015, was viewed by over 15,000 fans in the IPL Fan Park at Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium in Nashik," he added.

IPL 2016 Fan Parks schedule for May:

May 7 and May 8 - Lucknow, Gurgaon, Solapur, Warangal.

May 14 and May 15 - Muzzafarpur, Kolhapur, Vijaywada.

May 21 and May 22 - Patna, Goa, Kota, Guntur.

May 24 - Durgapur, Mangalore.

May 27 - Jaipur, Belgaum.

May 29 - Ranchi, Mathura, Aurangabad, Mysore.