IPL 2024 Opening Ceremony HIGHLIGHTS: Performances from AR Rahman, Akshay Kumar kick off new Indian Premier League season

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will get underway with a marquee clash between the defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai on March 22.

This year the tournament will continue the trend of kick-starting the edition with an opening ceremony ahead of the opener.

Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad with the IPL trophy during the opening ceremony.
| Photo Credit:
VEDHAN M/The Hindu

Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad, captains of the two teams in action today, make their way to the centre. Gaikwad carries the IPL trophy with him.

The president Roger Binny, secretary Jay Shah are among the office bearers who are now being called over to the stage.

It’s the entire star lineup on the stage for the Hindi song ‘Jai Ho’ from the movie Slumdog Millonare. The song is followed by a fireworks show to conclude the opening ceremony.

The next on stage is Bollywood singer Neeti Mohan.

Mohit Chauhan joins A.R. Rahman for his song from the upcoming biopic on Amarjit Singh Chamkila.

The next set of performances will be by the singers A.R. Rahman and Sonu Nigam. Vande Mataram is the first song.

To conclude their performance, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff take a lap of the stadium, waving the Indian flag on the way.

A replica of the winners’ trophy is displayed on the field.
| Photo Credit:
AP

Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff are dropped off on the stage with stunt ropes. The pair has an India flag with them as they land on the stage.

Actor Boman Irani flags off the ceremony with his introduction. It will now be over to Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff to take the stage.

The captains of the 10 teams for IPL 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Sportzpics for IPL

The five-time IPL winner announced on the match eve that M.S. Dhoni will hand over the reins of the team to Ruturaj Gaikwad. More details.

CSK hosts RCB at Chepauk for the first time since 2019. Click here for the match preview by Dhruva Prasad.

The IPL 2024 opening ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2024.

The pre-game show will include performances from singers A.R. Rahman and Sonu Nigam. Other than the pair, actors Tiger Shroff and Akshay Kumar will also feature in the opening ceremony. DJ Axwell will take the stage at the end of the first innings during the CSK vs RCB match.

The IPL 2024 opening ceremony will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the same will be available on the JioCinema website and mobile app.