What is common between Prabhu Deva, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Katy Perry, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra? This time, it is not films. All of them will be spotted showcasing some exhilarating performances at the IPL opening ceremony on April 3 in Chennai. Youngsters from across the country have marked their calendars and are booking their tickets to Chennai.
“IPL season 5 is going to be a carnival owing to the line up of artistes performing. We got a preview of this in the carnival themed ad campaign that has just been launched. This is not only a great opportunity for international and national cricketers to collaborate, but also for stars,” says Siddarth John who is going from Bengaluru especially for this.
Amitabh Bachchan’s tweet about being a part of the IPL certainly created a buzz. But the tweet that got 1,290 retweets is Katy Perry’s tweet about being a part of the IPL. Ujjvala Britto, a student says, “It will be such a delight to be welcomed by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. To add to this flavour, Katy Perry, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor will sizzle the stage with some crazy performances. Katy Perry cannot leave without singing Last Friday Night.” The entry of Prabhu Deva into this show is another highlight of the event. “Apparently he is going to perform a medley. It will be fabulous to watch India’s Michael Jackson live in action,” says Sidharth.
The tickets for the opening night are priced from `1,500 to `8,000. Nupoor Kapse, a chef from Delhi says, “I bought my gold ticket for `3,000. I am flying into Chennai for the opening night and will be attending the first match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on April 4. I am getting a balance of glam and cricket if my schedule works out as planned.”
Like Nupoor, many youngsters are waiting with bated breath to catch the first match of the season. Raksha Mallya, an assistant producer from Mumbai says, “I am really looking forward to the opening dhamaal, but more importantly, I am looking forward to the match because it is between Mumbai and Chennai. It is going to be a delight to watch Sachin Tendulkar in action.”