This Article is From Apr 02, 2013

IPL 6 opening ceremony: as it happened


Apr 02, 2013 22:14 (IST)
Thank you for joining us for the opening ceremony.

Kolkata take on Delhi in the opening match of IPL 6 on Wednesday.
Apr 02, 2013 21:42 (IST)
Pitbull thanks all and is joined on stage by SRK, Deepika and Katrina.

Kolkata's night sky lights up as fireworks bring the ceremony towards its fantastic end!
Apr 02, 2013 21:22 (IST)
After the peppy numbers from Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri, rapper Pitbull lends an international flavour to the ceremony.

The singer and songwriter has been setting the music stage on fire since his first album came out in 2001. He has since won several awards including MTV Europe Music Awards, American Music Awards, Peoples Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards. (Image courtesy: BCCI)


Apr 02, 2013 21:17 (IST)
And here is our photo gallery from IPL's opening ceremony!
Apr 02, 2013 21:15 (IST)


(Image courtesy: BCCI)
Apr 02, 2013 21:12 (IST)
SRK welcomes Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri to the stage.
Apr 02, 2013 21:06 (IST)
Shah Rukh thanks Mamata Banerjee, Kolkata, Rajeev Shukla, players and fans at IPL opening ceremony. (Image courtesy: BCCI)


Apr 02, 2013 21:01 (IST)
No end to Bollywood's party here.

Katrina makes way for 'Don' Shah Rukh Khan!
Apr 02, 2013 20:57 (IST)
And here is an image from the pledge ceremony earlier in the evening. (Image credit: BCCI)


Apr 02, 2013 20:56 (IST)
Bollywood sure knows the best way to party. Katrina's dance moves comes to an end but the ceremony is far from its.

Coming up: SRK!
Apr 02, 2013 20:53 (IST)
Katrina now dances to numbers from blockbusters Ek Thaa Tiger and Agneepath.
Apr 02, 2013 20:51 (IST)


(Image courtesy: BCCI)
Apr 02, 2013 20:47 (IST)
And Katrina Kaif follows Deepika to the stage. Looking ravishing in a crimson lehenga with a cape.
Apr 02, 2013 20:46 (IST)
Apr 02, 2013 20:41 (IST)
Back to the ceremony though, Deepika takes center stage!
Apr 02, 2013 20:41 (IST)
Meanwhile, reports are coming in that Bombay High Court has ordered IPL to pay pending security charges of Rs 8.4 crores by April 18th.
Apr 02, 2013 20:39 (IST)
IPL is also about entertainment and who better to entertain than Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif?

Coming up: The Bollywood starlets!
Apr 02, 2013 20:34 (IST)
A presentation on what the Indian Premier League has been all about in the last five years being shown. These are the best memories from the sensational performances from teams and players.

Deja vu for not just the players but fans as well!
Apr 02, 2013 20:29 (IST)

A huge cheer for the local captain as Gautam Gambhir walks out.

The team had disappointing outings in IPL but all that changed last year when they beat Chennai Super Kings to claim their maiden title.

Apr 02, 2013 20:29 (IST)

Kumar Sangakkara is on the field and is representing the only new team playing in this edition - Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Apr 02, 2013 20:29 (IST)

Angelo Matthews makes his way to the ground to sign the pledge. The Sri Lankan was promoted to the post of skipper of Pune Warriors India and will now look to reverse the team's fortunes.

Apr 02, 2013 20:28 (IST)

All eyes are on Virat Kohli as the dashing batsman comes out in Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey. He is leading the team and RCB fans will feel it is high time their side make solid performances count and last all the way to the final.

Apr 02, 2013 20:28 (IST)
Mumbai's new skipper Ricky Ponting is looking smart in his new jersey. He signs the pledge.
Apr 02, 2013 20:28 (IST)

Rahul Dravid makes his way out. The skipper-cum-coach of the Rajasthan Royals told NDTV earlier that his side is aiming for a top-4 finish this year.

The Royals won the inaugural edition of the tournament under Shane Warne but since have not impressed too many.

Apr 02, 2013 20:27 (IST)
After Chennai and Delhi skipper Jayawardena, out walks Gilchrist.

Adam Gilchrist has been a maverick cricketer for years. At the helm of the Kings XI Punjab team, the wicket-keeper batsman walks out to the middle.

Team Profile
Apr 02, 2013 20:25 (IST)
The nine IPL captains line up to take the pledge and promise to play the tournament in the spirit of the game.

First up CSK's MS Dhoni.
Apr 02, 2013 20:24 (IST)
The IPL ceremony is truly glittering as a flying acrobat brings in the trophy to the middle amid drummers all around the stadium.


Apr 02, 2013 20:10 (IST)
Flying drummers, gymnasts, cheerleaders and dancers converge to set the stage alight.

This is an extremely colourful, highly spirited performance straightaway - very symbolic of what IPL cricket is all about.
Apr 02, 2013 20:06 (IST)
Gymnasts take the center-stage as they wow the crowds with their performance.
Apr 02, 2013 20:02 (IST)

Shah Rukh Khan starts proceedings with one of the greatest poems by one of the greatest poets - Rabindranath Tagore:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Born in 1861, Tagore is one the best known poet and literary figures and an ode to the Nobel laureate through this poem is a celebration of not just Bengali culture but of Indian literary richness.

This poem is one of two written by Tagore, also revered as 'Thakur', which galvanized India's independence movement and was included in the Nobel prize winning Gitanjali. This, in Bengali, is titled "Chitto Jetha Bhayshunyo" and was translated by Tagore himself.

The other poem of course is Ekla Cholo Re.

Apr 02, 2013 20:01 (IST)
And the ceremony starts....expect absolute sensation for next 105 minutes!!
Apr 02, 2013 19:51 (IST)
Do you know what the nine participating teams look like? Read all about the sides here
Apr 02, 2013 19:36 (IST)
While on skippers, Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni has some advice for Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper Gautam Gambhir on how to handle pressure of being the defending champions.

"Don't think of the pressure. It is an all new edition. Of course, Gambhir is quite a funny guy too," says the player who led CSK to the title twice.
Apr 02, 2013 19:32 (IST)
On an entirely different note, have you seen our Mr. Dependable doing this ever? Rahul Dravid walks the ramp.

Click for more pictures




Apr 02, 2013 19:28 (IST)
Apr 02, 2013 19:27 (IST)
Apr 02, 2013 19:14 (IST)
Of course, pop singer Jennifer Lopez was reportedly in the list of celebrities to perform but the plans fizzled out last week.

Here is what Amul thinks of the episode.


Apr 02, 2013 19:11 (IST)
Reports came a little earlier that KKR fans have begun settling in at the Salt Lake Stadium, in large numbers.

They are not the only ones excited as Iqbal Abdullah and Yusuf Pathan tweet this image. (Courtesy: KKR official Twitter account)


Apr 02, 2013 18:45 (IST)
And massive crowds have begun streaming into the Salt Lake Stadium already.

Waving flags of gold and purple, most seem to be cheering the local team - Kolkata Knight Riders. Their team won the title last year and can stage an encore this year.

Read about the ambiance here
Apr 02, 2013 18:34 (IST)
While most of the celebrated players in world cricket will take part once again in IPL, there are also a few noted names who will be missing the fun.


Check our photo gallery on them
here
Apr 02, 2013 18:32 (IST)
The ceremony at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will begin from 7:30 this evening.
Apr 02, 2013 17:59 (IST)
76 games over a span of 54 days with 9 teams battling each other for cricketing glory - Indian Premier League is not just about entertainment. It is also about closely fought, keen contests that will keep fans glued and even the few uninterested critics giving keen glances towards the scorecard.

Speaking of entertainment, there is also a lot of it - Shah Rukh Khan will lead the pack with performances from Deepika Padukone and international rapper Pitbull. Apart from them, expect cheerleaders, flying drummers, gymnasts, rhythm acrobats, stilt-walkers, pheww, air-tumblers and mass dancers!

Shah Rukh has said it will be a never-seen-before event
Apr 02, 2013 17:51 (IST)
The opening ceremony of the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League is just a little over an hour away.

Expect a sensational performance with Bollywood stars converging with cricketers to kick-start one of the most awaited events in world cricket.

Get all the updates and photos from Kolkata, right here.
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