Watch: Smiles and hugs galore as IPL 2023 captains catch up at photo-op with trophy, Rohit Sharma missing

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League is just a night's sleep away and fans cannot wait for the popular tournament to get underway once again in the country.

This time the IPL promises even more fun and action as the league returns to its original home and away format.

But before all the action begins on Friday, the captains of the 9 teams got an opportunity to catch up with each other before posing with the IPL trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad), David Warner (Delhi Capitals), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul (Lucknow Supergiants), Shikhar Dhawan (Punjab Kings), Nitish Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Faf du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bangalore) struck a pose for the camera with the trophy placed in front of them.

But there was a major face missing from the picture as Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma was nowhere to be seen.

It is likely that Rohit couldn't make it to the city due to unknown reason as he was also missing from the promo video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on its social media handles for the IPL.

The IPL 2023 will kick off at this venue on March 31 with defending champions and hosts Gujarat Titans, led by Hardik Pandya, taking on MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings from 7.30 pm IST.

But before the first match, Bollywood singer Arijit Singh along with popular actresses Tamannaah Bhatia and Rashmika Mandanna will set the stage on fire with their dazzling performances at the first IPL Opening Ceremony since 2018.

IPL Fan Parks return after 2019

The IPL 2023 will see the return of the Fan Parks after a gap of three years.

The BCCI had started the concept in 2015 and the TATA IPL 2023 will see a comeback of the same.

"The TATA IPL Fan Parks will be spread across 45 cities – Surat, Madurai, Kota, Hubli, Dehradun to name a few – and over 20 States and 2 Union Territories this season.

"It promises to offer an exciting and entertaining community-viewing experience for the cricket fans across various regions of the country. Every weekend – throughout the duration of the tournament – there will be five fan parks

"The fans will get the opportunity to witness the TATA IPL 2023 Final, to be played on May 28, 2023, from as many as five Fan Parks across Jammu, Jamshedpur, Pallakad, Jorhat and Bhopal," the IPL statement read.