IPL 2023: Singer Arijit Singh, actress Tamannaah Bhatia to perform in first Opening Ceremony since 2018

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed on Wednesday that Bollywood singer Arijit Singh and actress Tamannah Bhatia will be performing at the Opening Ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.

This will be the first IPL Opening Ceremony since 2018 and will be held before the first match begins at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31.

Arijit and Tamannah will a long list of celebrities who have performed at the IPL opening ceremony in the past, including the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Pitbull, Akon, etc.

IPL organisers had cancelled the opening ceremony in 2019 and decided to give the funds allocated for it to the families of the CRPF soldiers killed in the Feb 14 attack in Pulwama.

The next three years saw the tournament being played under strict regulations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the Board from organising an opening ceremony.

Opening Ceremony promises fireworks

The return of the IPL's opening ceremony promises to be a spectacular affair, and fans can expect a dazzling show from the Arijit and Tamannah.

Popular South Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna's name was also doing the rounds previously but the BCCI has not confirmed her participation yet.

A senior official from BCCI informed Insidesport about the opening event and said, “With the return of home-and-away format, welcoming the crowd with a ceremony felt necessary.”

IPL returns to home-and-away format

The IPL will return to the ‘home-and-away’ format after the pandemic this year with the 10 teams divided into two groups for the 70 league fixtures.

The audience will witness the first game between defending champions Gujarat Titans and four-time winners Chennai Super Kings on March 31 (19:30 IST) after the opening ceremony.