Ahmedabad: The 16th edition of IPL got off to a lively start at the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera here on Friday evening.
An hour before the first ball was bowled in IPL 2023, Arijit Singh set the tone for the opening ceremony with some of his raging chartbusters.
The crowd of over 1 lakh people at the packed-to-the-rafters stadium danced on the aisles as Arijit belted out numbers like Kesariya, Channa Mereya, Tujhe Kitna Chaahne Lagey hum, Haawayein, Jhoome jo Pathaan, India jeetega over half an hour of electrifying music.
Actress Tamannah Bhatia was the next to take the stage and won over the crowd with the Oo Antava performance from Pushpa.
Rashmika Madanna then set the stage on fire, with some of the recent red-hot numbers from South films, including the Oscar-winning number ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR.
Watch the video clip of Rashmika as tweeted by IPL:
Sound 🔛@iamRashmika gets the crowd going with an energetic performance 💥
Drop an emoji to describe this special #TATAIPL 2023 opening ceremony 👇 pic.twitter.com/EY9yVAnSMN
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2023
Once their performances got over, the captains of the season-opener — MS Dhoni of Chennai Super Kings and Hardik Pandya of defending champions Gujarat Giants -– joined the artistes on stage along with BCCI secretary Jay Shah and IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal.
The captains made their entry on chariot-like carriages, with Pandya carrying the glittering trophy.
