From ‘childhood’ to ‘adulthood’, IPL-III kicks off

IPL -III returned to its home environs after a one-year gap with an eye-catching opening ceremony.

Mumbai: The third edition of the Indian Premier League returned to its home environs after a one-year gap with an eye-catching opening ceremony at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai here today.

The highlight of the ceremony was a spectacular light and sound extravaganza, which included international performers and pop stars like Lionel Richie. Popular band UB40`s Ali Campbell, Bjorn Again and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone regaled the spectators with their songs and dance routines on a stage erected on the turf.Prior to the one-hour showbiz, captains of all the eight participating teams -? Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Gautam Gambhir, Kumar Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the `MCC – Spir t of Cricket` oath to respect their opponents, their teams and the umpires. The eight players also signed the `Spirit of Cricket Board` as an attestation to play the game within the spirit of cricket after an address by BCCI chief Shashank Manohar. In line with IPL`s partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the captains of the franchises also affixed their autographs on a globe made of recyclable materials to demonstrate their commitment to reduce individual as well as the League`s carbon footprint. A spectacular laser show depicting cricket action, accompanied by Oscar winner A R Rehman`s superhit song "Jai Ho" brought on big cheer from the crowd in the stadium which was not jam-packed as expected. The programme also included a brief video collage titled "Journey of IPL" based on the Twenty20 League`s three-year journey. Padukone, along with 40 dancers, performed to a medley of hit songs, while Hoola Hoop juggling artists also created the logos of the eight IPL teams using LED glow sticks. The ceremony, that started with Campbell`s hit song "Can`t Help Falling in Love", supported by a troupe of dancers in colourful costumes, ended with pop veteran Richie`s hit single "Dancing On The Ceiling" and a spectacular fireworks display. After the opening ceremony, defending champions Deccan Chargers took on Kolkata Knight Riders in the first match of the tournament. PTI