Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 jamboree began on Saturday with a glamorous opening ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai with several stars from the entertainment industry performing in front of a packed house.
Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan began the proceedings with a few dance numbers, and was soon joined by actor-turned-filmmaker Prabhu Deva at the stage.
Before Mika Singh sang a few of his all-time hits, ‘Baahubali’ fame Tamanna Bhatia made a remarkable entry on a lion-headed carriage. Jacqueline Fernandes, the Sri Lankan-origin actress, performed on some of the hit songs from her Hindi movies.
The entire field of the Wankhede Stadium was decked with the familiar colors of the Indian Premier League, with many local performers also entertaining the crowd.
Unlike last year wherein there was an opening ceremony at each of the IPL venues, this year’s only such event was capped off by Hrithik Roshan performing on some of his hits over the years.
The IPL 2018 begins on Saturday with the opening clash taking place between two of the most successful teams of the tournament. The three-time winners and also the defending champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first match.
The tournament also marks captaincy debut for three new players in IPL, with Dinesh Karthik being appointed the leader of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Kane Williamson taking the command of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the past, is now the captain of the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
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