The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off on Saturday, March 22, with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This opening clash is reminiscent of the inaugural IPL match between these two sides on April 18, 2008.
To commemorate 18 years of IPL, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to host special opening ceremonies at all 13 venues throughout the tournament.
As per a report published by Sportstar on Tuesday, March 18, a source revealed, “The celebration will kick off with a grand opening ceremony featuring Bollywood superstars and celebrities from the music industry at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22. The festive fervour will continue throughout the season with each venue kickstarting its first match with a cultural programme featuring prominent artists.”
The source further elaborated, “We wanted to add more flavour to the tournament so that spectators from each and every venue can get a taste of the opening ceremony. For the cultural programmes in each venue, we are planning to create a line-up of national and local artists.”
Bollywood Celebrities To Perform in IPL Ceremonies
Singer Shreya Ghosal and Bollywood actress Disha Patani are confirmed to perform at the Kolkata opening ceremony, which will also witness the presence of ICC chairman Jay Shah.
Additionally, reports indicate that the BCCI is in the final stages of discussions with other prominent artists for the remaining 12 events. The source mentioned, “The idea is to have a varied pool of Bollywood artists performing for all the programmes, and with limited time in between the innings, two to three artists could be accommodated for these events.”
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Since the scale of this initiative is unprecedented, the source acknowledged certain logistical challenges. “The BCCI and State associations are working closely to ensure that the programmes are conducted smoothly without affecting the matches,” the source added.
All IPL 2025 matches are scheduled to take place in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Guwahati, and Visakhapatnam between March 22 and May 25.
