The known faces at the IPL opening ceremony

Current and former cricket stars, politicians and filmstars graced the opening ceremony of the IPL on Tuesday, making it a celebrity-studded evening at the Salt Lake stadium.

Kolkata: Current and former cricket stars, politicians and filmstars graced the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Tuesday, making it a celebrity-studded evening at the Salt Lake stadium.

In her favourite white cotton sari with green border, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was at the stadium even before the ceremony kicked off. She lit the inaugural lamp, and stayed till the last, smiling and appreciating all the performances. Representing the BCCI were president N.Srinivasan and Rajiv Shukla. They took the stage with the captains of the nine teams who signed the ICC spirit of cricket pledge "Play hard, play fair". Other eminent personalities present were former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, politician Arun Jaitley, actor Rohit Roy and wife of Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri. Mamata Banerjee was seen interacting with Shah Rukh during the performance of Bappi Lahiri and Usha Uthup. The feel of nostalgia filled the air when they sang old Bollywood hits. Shah Rukh, Katrina, Deepika and Pitbull came up with rocking performances with the audience grooving to the popular songs. IANS