Dubai: The curtains went up on the fifth edition of the world's most glamorous Twenty20 tournament last night, with the colourful opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the YMCA College of Physical Education in Chennai.
A galaxy of stars led by India's Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and American pop star Katy Perry lit up the ceremony. The event was taken out of the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, where Mumbai Indians take on champions Chennai Superkings tonight, as organisers did not want the cricket pitch to be affected in any way due to the ceremony.
The opening ceremony began with Bachchan reciting a poem about cricket. A band of Filipino percussionists performed while DJ Ravi, reputed to be the world's best drummer, also chipped in.
The Colonial Cousins troupe presented their new number and received huge cheers from the fans. This was followed dances by actress Priyanka Chopra and Prabhudeva, also known as India's Michael Jackson.
The Chennai Super Kings team, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, then entered the stage and danced to a Telegu song. Actress Kareena Kapoor's dance performance received thunderous applause and superstar Salman Khan could also be seen among the celebrities.
The captains of all the teams arrived on stage one by one. Rahul Dravid, the skipper of the Rajasthan Royals, was the first to step up, followed by Gautam Gambhir of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Lower capacity
The ticket rate for the opening ceremony started at Rs1,500 (Dh110) and, according to information, the lower capacity at the YMCA left many fans disappointed as they were unable to watch the event live.
For the next 54 days, the cricketing world will be glued to the action in the IPL, with some of the top players from around the world already there. A total of 76 matches will be played at 12 venues across the country, with the final on May 27 in Chennai.
