Thursday, 17 April 2025
Thursday, 17 April 2025
Cricket fans are in for a visual and musical treat in a 35-minute IPL opening ceremony before the much anticipated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) match on Saturday.
The curtain-raiser will begin at 6 pm, confirmed the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President, Snehashish Ganguly.
Stars, such as Punjabi music sensation Karan Aujla, playback singer Shreya Ghoshal and Bollywood actor Disha Patani will perform at the ceremony.
Rumors suggest that global pop sensation OneRepublic, along with actor Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, and singer Arijit Singh, might also grace the stage.
KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has already made his arrival in Kolkata last night. SRK was spotted waving to fans, donning his signature dark shades, a crisp white tee, and classic denim.
IPL 2024’s opening at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium was a grand affair featuring Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, A.R. Rahman, and Sonu Nigam.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had already issued an "orange alert" for Kolkata and several districts, predicting thundersqualls, gusty winds, lightning, hailstorms, and moderate rainfall on Saturday.
With forecasts hinting at possible showers, organisers have also prepared contingency plans to ensure that neither the show nor the game is dampened.
But the final practice session of Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers was cut short by rain Friday.
This year, the teams are stepping onto the field with fresh leadership. Ajinkya Rahane will lead KKR, while Rajat Patidar has taken charge of RCB.
