IPL5: Glamour quotient all-time high at opening ceremony

Nine captains of IPL playing teams pose during the opening night function and concert held at the YMCA College of Physical Education Grounds, Nandanam, Chennai. PTI photo more photos » A spectacular mix of Bollywood razzmatazz and high-octane performances by International stars were the highlights of a glittering opening ceremony which set the ball rolling for the fifth edition of the IPL in Chennai on Tuesday. The glamour quotient was at an all-time high as a galaxy of stars, led by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, descended at the at the YMCA College of Physical Education and set the stage on fire with their performance. Amitabh, returning to work after two abdominal surgeries earlier this year, started the proceedings for the evening with a rendition of a poem If I Were To Be Born Again, written by renowned lyricist Prasoon Joshi. The 69-year-old's baritone voice and inimitable style, coupled with a dance performance choreographed by Shiamak Davar at the background gave an apt start to the glittering ceremony, which set the stage for the 54-day extravaganza featuring nine teams. South African percussion band First Project, composer DJ Ravi Drums and Colonial Cousins then took the stage and churned out their brand of music, setting the pulses racing. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra then enthralled the audience with her dance and heroics during her performance to the hit numbers from her films such as Don, Don 2 and Kaaminey, which even saw India spinner Harbhajan Singh shaking a leg on the stage. India's dancing sensation and Chennai's own Prabhu Deva then burned the dance floor with his power-packed performance where he danced to songs from films such as Wanted and Hum Se Hai Muqablah. Two-time title winners, Chennai Super Kings then took the stage and Priyanka Chopra shared some light moments with the cricketers as she quizzed skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and also taught Australian Doug Bollinger and Indian spinner R Ashwin some dancing steps. The Chammak Challo of the Tinsel town, Kareena Kapoor then set the heart racing with her dance numbers from films such as Ra One and Agent Vinod. The opening night then saw the oath-taking ceremony by the skippers of the nine teams, including retired Rahul Dravid and Australian Adam Gilchrist, as they signed the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge. Defending champions CSK skipper Dhoni placed the trophy back on the podium and BCCI president N Srinivasan and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla then joined the players on stage. "IPL has grown from strength to strength and has established itself as a premiere tournament. BCCI is extremely proud of this achievement. But who is the cause, first the commitment of the players both international and domestic, who participated in the event, the enthusiasm of the franchises and assistance of the supporting stuffs and the cricket fans in India and around the world have contributed to its great success. We expect IPL V to be no less," Srinivasan said. "We have not forgotten who played for us. The BCCI will give an one-time opportunity to cricketers who have graced Indian cricket -- International cricketer as well as domestic cricketers who played from a long time. Over 185 players will be benefited from it and we will start the distribution from this year. It is a small thank you from us to those who have done yeoman service to Indian cricket," he added. Shukla then flagged off the fifth edition, saying: "It gives me a great pleasure to flag off the fifth edition of the DLF Indian Premier League, an arena where quality international and domestic cricketers take part in intense contest of strategy and skill. IPL is a platform where talent meets opportunity." Details of IPL teams: Chennai Super Kings will be chasing a hat-trick of titles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that starts on Wednesday. But the other seven franchises too can spring a surprise. The following is an analysis of all the nine teams taking part in the fifth IPL: Mumbai Indians: They look the most complete team and will be keen on winning their maiden IPL trophy. Sachin Tendulkar has been declared fit for the tournament and will bolster an already formidable batting line-up of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, and latest T20 sensation Richard Levi. Sri Lanka speedster Lasith Malinga and Australian Mitchell Johnson will be the bowlers to look out for besides the familiar Munaf Patel and Rudra Pratap Singh. Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha will lead the spin attack. Mumbai reached the finals in 2010 and came fourth in the last edition. Delhi Daredevils: Things can only better for the side, which finished last in 2011. The Virender Sehwag-led unit is stronger with the inclusion of batting stars in Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Englishman Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor from New Zealand.   Sehwag's opening partner David Warner, who is on national duty in the Windies, will only be available at the end of the month. The bowling will be led by Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan. The main concern for Delhi lies in the spin area. Pune Warriors: They will be determined to make a mark after having been in the news for off-field reasons, which at one point saw them pulling out of the tournament. Australia captain Michael Clarke has been brought in as a replacement for Yuvraj Singh. Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was signed recently. Sourav Ganguly will lead a batting line-up that has Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Jesse Ryder (New Zealand) and Angelo Matthews (Sri Lanka). Bowling looks balanced with multiple spin and pace options. Leggie Rahul Sharma will be expected to deliver the goods again along with other experienced spinner Murali Karthik. Ashish Nehra is also in the squad but has fitness issues to deal with. Pune finished ninth in 2011. Deccan Chargers: The 2009 champions look one of the weaker teams. Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has the challenge of bringing out the best from the young-looking team. Bowling remains their strength despite the withdrawal of fast bowler Ishant Sharma due to ankle injury. South African pacer Dale Steyn will be the one to look out for. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra will hope to carry on his good form of 2011. Australia's Daniel Christian and Cameron White are the all-round options. Chargers came sixth in 2011. Chennai Super Kings: The most successful team in IPL starts as the favourite again. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be spoilt for choice in both the batting and bowling departments. Chennai have brought in all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Australian pacer Ben Hilfenhaus. Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and Subramaniam Badrinath form the batting chunk. Michael Hussey will be available after the Caribbean trip. Hilfenhaus joins compatriot Doug Bollinger in bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin being the leading spinner.     Royal Challengers Bangalore: Last year's runners-up can hope to go the distance with the presence of the explosive West Indian batsman Chris Gayle and the in form Virat Kohli. These two should get ample support from South Africa's AB de Villiers and Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan. Zaheer Khan and R Vinay Kumar will be the key in the fast bowling department. Champions spinners in Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan certainly make Royal Challengers a force to reckon with. Kings XI Punjab: Captain and coach Adam Gilchrist will have the task of making the best use of the limited resources. The team does not boast of many big names. Australians David Hussey and Shaun Marsh are the prominent names in batting. Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris and Piyush Chawla will have to do the job with the ball. Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir and his men have enough fire-power to build on their fourth place finish in 2011. The Australian fast bowling duo of Brett Lee and James Pattinson can trouble most batsmen.  The team also boasts of top-all rounders - Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and South Africa legend Jacques Kallis. West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine and Iqbal Abdulla are likely to be the regular spinners. Other batsmen include Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan and big hitter Yusuf Pathan. Rajasthan Royals: Royals heavily depend on its batting to progress into the knock-out rounds with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Brad Hodge, Shane Watson, who is available only after April. Big B opens IPL with Prasoon Joshi's poem | PC makes Bhajji dance more from this section Srinivasan announces 'one-time benefit' scheme for cricketers IPL faces popularity test as India team struggles Sachin quits, Bhajji to lead Mumbai Indians Source-Hindustan Times