Follow- #IPL10, Match 1- SRH vs RCB, here
And with that we finish off with the opening ceremony. All eyes now glued on to the season opener- SRH vs RCB
Here is actress Amy Jackson all ready to set the stage on fire. Dancing to the newer version of "Saara Zaamana".
Finally time for the Bollywood stars to make an entry
Warner hands over to Kohli a token representing 'the true spirit of cricket'
#SpiritofCricket at #IPL - #Viratkohli & #davidwarner pic.twitter.com/dUevlFhJoI
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 5, 2017
And here is RCB captain Virat Kohli entering the stadium and walks on to the stage. Then walks in the reigning team's captain David Warner along with the IPL trophy
A video of the captains signing the MCC Spirit of Cricket bat
Shastri now calls upon Vinod Rai, Chairman of BCCI CoA to felicitate the four legends
The #IPL iconic cricketers felicitated ahead of the opening game - @sachin_rt @SGanguly99 @VVSLaxman281 @virendersehwag pic.twitter.com/xIHjYsmARe
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 5, 2017
"Never thought that IPL would turn such competitive. Cricket has actually stepped into various countries now"- Sachin
"Amazing to see the atmosphere"- Ganguly. Also mentions about the cricket World Cup and IPL eclipse it in another 10 years.
"IPL has revolutionised cricket.....good for uncapped players as IPL gives them that exposure," - Laxman
All the four legends were taken around the field with "Jai Ho" going as the background score.
Welcomes former Indian opener Virender Sehwag. Then walks in Princ of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly. Local boy and former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman too joins the stage. And finally the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. It was earlier reported that the FAB-FIVE would be felicitated, but today, Rahul Dravid's name was conspicuously missing when Shastri made the roll call of Indian batting legends.
Here is former Indian captain and commentator Ravi Shastri taking the crowd down the 10 years of IPL. The giant-screen is displaying a glimpse of some of the moments from those 10 years
And we start off opening ceremony with Lagaan's famous song "Chale Chalo"
A decade of complete entertainment, a decade cricket. In short, a decade of cricketainment. Welcome to the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League's 10th season as it unveils at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Here's @SunRisers' skipper @davidwarner31 trying out #IPL's #10SaalAapkeNaam pic.twitter.com/DbyI2AEb1q
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 5, 2017
Excited for the start of the IPL season tonight. Who is going to take the crown?? #vivoipl2017 pic.twitter.com/Wq4V2Vcc32
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) April 5, 2017
Can't wait for the @IPL to start tonight! Let the fun begin #VIVOIPL2017 pic.twitter.com/MOZkyB1KGn
— Brett Lee (@BrettLee_58) April 5, 2017
Unlike previous editions, the IPL 10 will have eight different opening ceremonies held across eight hosts cities. The grandest of them all, the first one, will be held today at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal.
As expected, the ceremony will witness a host of Bollywood stars performing to their favourite tunes. Tiger Shroff, Parineeti Chopra and Shraddha Kapoor, among others, are reportedly ready to perform on Wednesday.
For cricket fans, it will be a huge night. India's 'Fab Five' will be felicitated during the opening ceremony, and all five batting greats are likely to present.
It will be followed by the first match of the season, between defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and last year's finalist Royal Challengers Bangalore.
New Delhi: Welcome to our live coverage of the opening ceremony of the 2017 Indian Premier League, being held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.