IPL 2017 to have eight opening ceremonies
The 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) season will be the tenth year of the top tier cricket tournament, and organisers are preparing for a big celebration for the landmark edition.
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla announced on Monday that unlike past editions, the tenth edition will not exclude any fan from the celebrations as the league plans to host eight different opening ceremonies, one before the first home game of each franchise.
“It would be unfair to say it was my idea. All the members sat together and decided to have separate opening ceremonies across all the host cities to give the fans an opportunity to witness the opening of the 10th edition of the IPL live,” Shukla was quoted as saying in a report by Cricketnext.
“The various segments of the ceremony will be on our culture, the culture and tradition of the host cities as also highlighting the high points from the last nine editions of the tournament. We will also have performances from Bollywood stars, spirit of cricket signing, etc,” he said.
Plenty of fanfare
Each opening ceremony is expected to be graced by a different celebrity as well.
Bollywood stars have entertained cricket fans at the start of each IPL season with the likes of Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan having performed in the opening ceremonies.
This year will see a younger generation of stars taking to the stage.
Here is a list of the confirmed names for each venue:
Hyderabad (April 5): Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Amy Jackson will perform at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
“Amy is set to perform and we will also have other regional faces. Apart from that, we could also have a laser show as also we will have the official digital signing of the eight captains and bringing the trophy back into play for this season,” an official of the Hyderabad Cricket Association said in the report.
Pune (April 6): Rising Pune Supergiants v Mumbai Indians
Riteish Deshmukh will perform at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Rajkot (April 7): Gujarat Lions v Kolkata Knight Riders
Tiger Shroff will perform at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
“We will have the super talented Tiger performing at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Apart from him, we will also have Sachin-Jigar and the Ram-Leela fame singer Bhoomi Trivedi. It should be a fascinating night and one that all will remember,” an SCA official said.
Indore (April 8): Kings XI Punjab v Rising Pune Supergiants
Yet to be confirmed for the match at Holkar Cricket Stadium.
Bangalore (April 8): Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils
Yet to be confirmed for the match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“We have just been told that the event shall be hosted between 6pm and 6:50 pm and that is all that we are aware of. We have not been told anything about the performers and what all can be expected in the show,” said a senior Karnataka State Cricket Association official.
Mumbai (April 9): Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders
Yet to be confirmed for match at Wankhede Stadium.
“We have not been told anything by the organising committee as yet,” a Mumbai Cricket Association official said.
Kolkata (April 13): Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab
Shraddha Kapoor and Monali Thakur will perform at Eden Gardens.
“With Shah Rukh Khan, you never know if he will be part of an impromptu jig if he is present at the Eden Gardens. But as of now, Shraddha and Monali have confirmed their participation. We are very excited and hope to put on a great show,” a Cricket Association of Bengal official said.
New Delhi (April 15): Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab
Parineeti Chopra will perform at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground.
“We are proud that we will have Parineeti performing in the opening ceremony at Kotla. She hails from Ambala, as a result she will have a connect with both the Delhi and the Punjab fans. We are excited that she will put up a great show. We will also have other performances like cultural shows and relive DD’s best moments in the IPL over the last nine editions,” a senior Delhi and District Cricket Association official was quoted as saying.
Source: Hindustan Times
