Eesha Kulkarni

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, widely considered as one of the most prestigious T20 tournaments in cricket, has generated a lot of excitement among fans. The upcoming 2023 season is anticipated to revive the nostalgic IPL atmosphere, as it will follow the ‘home and away’ format for the first time since 2018.

The season will commence with an Opening Ceremony, which will take place prior to the first match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings on March 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The game between GT and CSK is set to begin at 7:30 PM today, while the opening ceremony is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM IST.

But that’s not even the most exciting part; the opening ceremony will showcase the talents of actors Rashmika Mandanna and Tamannaah Bhatia, while renowned singer Arijit Singh will also make an appearance to enthral the audience. Several reports have indicated that Tiger Shroff and Katrina Kaif may also be present at the ceremony. In addition to the performances by movie industry icons, the glitzy do will also include several cultural acts.

The official page of the IPL shared a post about Rashmika’s performance and captioned it, “Get ready for a dazzling and unforgettable evening. @rashmika_mandanna will be performing LIVE during the #TATAIPL Opening Ceremony at the biggest cricket stadium in the world - Narendra Modi Stadium! 31st March, 2023 - 6 PM on @starsportsindia & @officialjiocinema.”

Sharing more about her performance, an official statement from the actress’ publicist said, “Mandanna is popular amongst her fans not only for her acting skills but also for the energy she exerts while dancing her heart off. The actress will now again serve you looks, elegance, and vibrancy on stage at this big event held at the world’s biggest stadium.”

This opening ceremony will be the first such event since 2018, as the BCCI opted to cancel the ceremony in 2019 as a tribute to the soldiers who passed away in the Pulwama attack earlier that year. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in place from 2020 to 2022 made it impossible to hold large gatherings, which prevented the ceremony from being held during those years.

This year’s IPL will feature matches being played at 12 different venues, namely Mohali, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, Guwahati, and Dharamsala.

After a four-year hiatus, the league will resume its traditional home-and-away schedule in India, with each of the top teams playing a total of 14 games. Each team will enjoy the support of their home fans, playing seven matches at their respective home grounds, while the other seven matches will be played at away venues.