IPL 2023: Star-studded opening ceremony of 16th edition grabs limelight

The much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 kicked off with a grand opening ceremony at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Celebrities dazzled cricket fans from all over the world with their performances ahead of the opening game between the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The show began with a drone display. Notably, nearly 1500 drones were used to create various designs in the sky, including the coveted IPL Trophy. Following that, Mandira Bedi, a well-known Indian actress, fashion designer, and television presenter delivered a fiery speech to begin the proceedings.

The events started with a performance by singing star Arijit Singh who captivated the audience with a wide range of songs. Arijit opened the show with 'Ae Vatan' from Alia Bhatt's movie 'Raazi'. He was seen singing and playing the piano at the same time.

Arjit Singh's performance during IPL 2023 opening ceremony

IndianPremierLeague@IPL

𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨! How about that for a performance to kick off the proceedings 🎶🎶 @arijitsingh begins the #TATAIPL 2023 Opening Ceremony in some style 👌👌

06:23 PM · Mar 31, 2023

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Prominent Indian actors Rashmika Mandanna and Tamannah Bhatia also performed at the IPL opening ceremony. Tamannah performed on trending songs like ‘Tum tum’ Tam' and 'Oo Antava'. The crowd was seen bouncing when a popular Gujarati track 'Chogada Tara' was played. Following that, Mandanna delivered another stunning performance, this time to songs from her film "Pushpa: The Rise." She also danced to the tune of the Academy Award-winning song 'Naatu Naatu' from SS Rajamouli's film “RRR.”

Meanwhile, CSK captain MS Dhoni was earlier spotted enjoying Arijit Singh's live performance from the dugout. The host then invited CSK and GT captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Hardik Pandya to the stage. GT captain Hardik placed the IPL trophy on the podium, and their title defense officially began. Both captains were seen posing with the IPL trophy alongside the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), secretary Jay Shah, and other officials.